Sunday September 8 2024
Swindon & Wiltshire News
Sales coach Alison Edgar has been named as one of the UK’s top 10 business advisers as part of the Top 50 Business Advisers awards.
Alison, who offers business advice to help local early stage entrepreneurs, was picked from hundreds of advisers from around the UK for her work with start-ups and small businesses.
She is the only winner from the South West region.
Alison, managing director of Sales Coaching Solutions Ltd, said: “By taking advice in the earliest stages of business it lays a solid foundation for growth.
“Most small business have extensive knowledge of their product of service, but usually lack skills in other areas which they need to run a successful business. It could be in finance, IT, HR, leadership or sales and marketing, this is where Growth Vouchers provide an affordable solution to fill the knowledge gap.”
Alison, who set up her business last year, and already employs two staff, has recently mentored the co-founders of Bath Boutique Stays and London-based Attic Self Storage.
Due to their success, Bath Boutique Stays was chosen as a spearhead for Growth Vouchers by Business is GREAT Britain and now features on their website.
Small business network Enterprise Nation asked fledgling businesses to nominate an adviser that had helped them to build and grow a sustainable business.
The awards, which set out to highlight the work done behind the scenes by experts helping Britain’s army of small businesses to build and grow, revealed a rich vein of dedicated supporters for the UK’s expanding entrepreneurial culture.
Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation said: “These business advisers are the unsung heroes behind Britain’s booming small business culture.
“The awards have uncovered some incredible work that has helped fledgling firms take steps towards sustainability and growth by taking a strategic look at their business.
“Research shows that those firms that take advice do better than those that don’t – and it stands to reason that good advice can help avoid some of the damaging, early mistakes entrepreneurs can make that can often force them to give up.
“Thanks to the Government’s £30m Growth Voucher initiative, there is now an increasing interest in taking strategic advice to overcome some of these behavioural barriers and unlock growth potential.
“The awards were designed to show this important work in action, in order to help more start-ups and small firms find out about the benefits of taking advice.”
Entries were judged by a distinguished panel including Emma Jones, and representatives from professional bodies including the ICAEW, as well as the Department for Business, Industry and Skills, StartUp Loans and James Layfield, the founder and entrepreneur behind Central Working.
