
Business support services in Edinburgh
96% positive rating from our members*
Thrive with other business owners
Business advisory boards
Discover a different kind of business support in Edinburgh.
Imagine having the backing of a group of like-minded business owners who come together to advise one another on their most pressing business challenges.
An inspired solution that has proven results - our advisory boards run every month in a safe, confidential environment and mean you don’t have to go it alone.






One-to-one business coaching
Keep focused, accountable and on track to achieve your business and personal goals.
To complement the advisory boards, members get a monthly one-to-one session with their TAB facilitator and coach.
Business Builder’s Blueprint
Have access to our exclusive strategic business planning process: The Business Builder’s Blueprint.
This toolkit is designed so you can focus on getting your business working for you.






TAB Connect
Share best practice with and seek help from like-minded individuals across the globe.
TAB operates in over 20 countries around the world, and through our exclusive online platform, business owners can collaborate with one another to solve their business challenges.

Your business coaches in and around Edinburgh
Start your TAB journey by contacting Andy
Andy owns and operates The Alternative Board in Edinburgh.
Having worked in varied roles, Andy brings a range of perspectives and approaches that can challenge and support any business owner to achieve their goals. His real passion is helping businesses get more focused and aligned on what’s important to them and their customers. Andy’s role with The Alternative Board allows him to do exactly that.
Andy is a graduate of Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Materials Science which was later supplemented by an MBA.
He has over 25 years of commercial and sales leadership experience, including several overseas assignments, much of it gained within the energy sector. Andy’s expertise has been developed working for both large corporations and having spent over 10 years as a sales leader of a fast growth, high performing SME.
His specialist areas are sales leadership, strategy and business build, new market entry and growth of recurring revenue, as well as delivering in many diverse cultures. He has a particular interest in sales development and enabling top performance.
If you are based in Edinburgh and would like to explore how Andy and TAB can help you grow and develop your business, then please get in touch.
Start your TAB journey by contacting Steve
Following an early career in the agricultural industry, Steve has spent over 20 years in the technology sector, with a focus on retail, training, go to market, operations, marketing, events, and team development.
Including building his own Field marketing business to support clients in the technology sector, he created award winning field teams and unique solutions across many sectors to drive products in retail and beyond, across the UK and Europe.
He has a passion for getting the best from people. He loves helping them provide the best service to their customers via operational planning, training and development, and customer focus. He understands the many benefits of selecting the right staff from the start, building their skills and knowledge, and retaining them to help improve your business stability and costs.
With experience engaging with all levels of both local and global business, a strong operations background, a people centric work ethic, and the experience of what is involved in building your own company, Steve appreciates the opportunities and challenges business owners face.
If you are interested in how Steve and TAB can help you and your business, please get in touch.
Discover the benefits of our business support in Edinburgh
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.
Hear from our TAB members
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 journey with TAB
Get in touch with Andy or Steve.
They will contact you to arrange an introductory meeting.
During which, you’ll chat about whether TAB business coaching is right for you and your business.
Attend your first TAB board meeting and coaching session to discover the power of peer support.
Find business support in Edinburgh by getting in touch.
There’s no obligation, only an opportunity to find out more.
Tell us more about you
One of the team will be in touch to book an introductory chat.
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