
The Alternative Board Northumberland
Improving the lives of business owners: coaching and advisory boards in Northumberland
The Alternative Board (TAB) Northumberland is run by business coach and facilitator, Liam Kane.
In Northumberland, Liam supports business owners to take their business to the next level through a supportive advisory board, made up of other local business owners, expert 1-2-1 coaching and mentoring, and our suite of business tools.
Our members come from a wide area in Northumberland including: Berwick upon Tweed, Alnwick, Morpeth, Ashington, Cramlington, Blyth, Ponteland and Hexham.
Start your TAB journey
Attend your first TAB board meeting and experience the power of peer support.

Your Northumberland facilitator
Get in touch with Liam
Liam is The Alternative Board’s facilitator and business coach for Northumberland.
He has a wide range of commercial and leadership experience gained from his career of over 30 years in financial services across the UK. This includes, since 2016, Regional Managing Director of Commercial and Business Banking, North of England and Scotland for the NatWest Group.
He has extensive experience in sales, performance and risk management and is passionate about providing an outstanding customer experience and developing people through coaching. Liam is a professionally qualified Executive Coach a qualification attend through the Academy of Executive Coaching (AoEC), and is a certified team coach again through the AoEC.
As a senior leader in the banking sector Liam was instrumental in the rollout of a UK wide leadership programme and recognises the critical role leaders play in the ongoing success of their business from setting the vision, to strategic planning and outstanding execution.
Having supported ambitious SMEs throughout his career Liam was determined to remain close to a segment of the market which he considers to be the heartbeat of the UK economy.
But how do we differ from a traditional business coach and mentor or small business coach?
They may concentrate on improving your sales, sorting out your HR or helping you with your finances but that’s where it often ends. At TAB Northumberland, we’ll look at these too of course, but we’ll start with you, the business owner, as a person.
Discover the benefits of advice from others like you
Start with you
Focus on what you want in life and how your business can help get you there.
Increase profitability
Be held accountable to meet your business targets.
Improve decisions
Take control of your decisions through peer support and proven planning tools
Make better time choices
Spend your time well by utilising the experience of others.
Become a better leader
Motivate your people with the guidance of peers and an expert coach.
Plan a successful exit
Get the best result for you with tailored, hands-on support.
Start your TAB journey
Attend your first TAB board meeting and experience the power of peer support.
Our members are stronger together
I realise that when times are hard, I need to be at my best and my TAB Board have helped me get my ‘mojo’ back. They show empathy, understanding and importantly hold me accountable to things I say I’ll do! TAB made a great difference to me when I needed to make some tough decisions for our office structure. I’m pleased that we have implemented changes and have a new streamlined and dynamic environment which I’d have struggled to achieve on my own.

My business has really benefited from the TAB experience. The group sessions are a great opportunity to share and solve business challenges with a bright group of people who really challenge you to think differently about the way you do things. Stuart is an excellent coach, in our one to one sessions he helps me to reflect on what I want to get out of my business and how I am going to make that happen. In the last year we have achieved around 40% growth and I am looking at a new business acquisition.
I’ve found a new energy and clarity since I’ve joined TAB: the mix of group and one-to-one meetings gives me a safe space to work on my business rather than in it, and that has been transformative. The necessity of preparing my issue for the board each month in itself helps me think more clearly. Other board members always bring perspectives and ideas I would never have considered and are generous in offering help and contacts and the one-to-one sessions are the perfect mix of support and challenge. I’d recommend it without hesitation.
Over the years, I have received lots of practical advice on ways to improve my business from my TAB colleagues. Especially during these difficult times for small businesses - knowing you’re not alone and sharing concerns with others who understand has been invaluable and has helped me see the positives in an otherwise bleak time for business. Even though the businesses on my Board are very diverse, we all experience the same fundamental issues and bring different perspectives to tackling them. Board Members may suggest a way forward that I hadn’t previously considered or they may simply validate my own thought process – either way I come away from my TAB meetings feeling re-energised and full of ideas for my business.
The Alternative Board has helped me to focus on the company’s key goals and objectives. You really don’t feel you are alone, there is a whole team of other business professionals to support you through any challenging issue you or your company is facing. It really is a great and positive motivating experience. Most importantly, the Board has made a fundamental difference to the performance and profitability of the business.

Running a business is a challenge, but today’s new problem is something someone else has already dealt with, this week’s craziness is next week’s learning, and tomorrow’s insight is sometimes the inspiration another needs. So it’s about being part of a community who can share, support, and guide and celebrate. We are all individuals but together we are strong.

I have a debt of gratitude to TAB after a 400% turnover boost. I can’t speak highly enough of The Alternative Board. It has made a huge difference to our agency. It’s something I would encourage business owners to think about. We wouldn’t have been able to achieve the growth we have without TAB.

My working life before TAB was extremely challenging and often pretty lonely. It’s often obvious what needs to be done within a business, but TAB gives you the confidence, support, and momentum to take action. The monthly meetings challenge you. I’d have no hesitation in recommending TAB. It has changed my working life – which in turn has made me a happier person.

Start your TAB journey
Get in touch with Liam.
He will contact you to arrange an introductory meeting.
During which, you’ll chat about whether TAB is right for you and your business.
Attend your first TAB board meeting and experience the power of peer support.
There’s no obligation, only an opportunity to find out more.
Start your TAB journey
Attend your first TAB board meeting and experience the power of peer support.
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