The Alternative Board Wakefield District

As a new member of TAB I've sat on 4 peer board meetings and have had 7 coaching sessions with Simon. 22 hours that has helped me grow my business by 140% over the worst, strangest and most challenging months that any company could face.

Being a TAB member has been insightful, engaging, and time well spent working on my business.

I have worked for AES for 20 years and I assumed full ownership and control of the business, following a 5 year management buy-out. I joined TAB with the expectation that it would provide me with an opportunity to discuss, implement and manage changes that would allow the business to grow, with the support and experience of other business owners. During the last 12 months that I have been a member, TAB has been a vital resource to challenge my ideas and enable me to make better decisions. Working on a Business Advisory Board with other like-minded business owners from various sectors has enabled me to access support, experience and knowledge to help me to run my company.

The accountability I get from TAB is refreshing.  As business owners, you can be as good or lazy as you want to be and no one will challenge you.  With TAB, I know they will challenge me, which gives me much more focus to get on with what I need to do.  TAB has helped me change the structure of the business, enabling me to delegate more and focus on the important things to take the business forward. During Covid, we needed a new way of growing the business. With the board’s help we put together a plan, which has significantly contributed to our turnover doubling in the last 2 years.

My TAB Board helped me through a very difficult period with another business I was running. They gave me sound advice on dealing with the other shareholders, meaning the outcome was much better than it might otherwise have been.

To share my years of experience and help others with their business challenges is very cathartic and rewarding.

"TAB has given me coaching sessions, focusing on the positive elements of my business and helping to grow and develop during what is probably the most difficult trading period we have encountered. TAB has also invited me to a monthly board meeting where I joined six existing members, all of whom have extensive business experience and have provided me with some invaluable advice, guidance and accountability."

My confidence has grown enormously as a result of the support from Dougie and TAB. Every time I take what feels like a big issue to my Board, I come away feeling that it is much easier to deal with because of the advice I’ve been given by people from very different businesses and backgrounds.

The accountability I get from my TAB Board and facilitator makes me do the things I say I’m going to do – integrity is a key value for me “I am less likely to let things drift if I share my plans and intentions with someone.

"Before TAB, I didn’t really have anyone I could talk to about business issues. Getting reassurance from my board on things I’m thinking of doing gives me more confidence to get on with it. I really value the openness of my board and facilitator, which allows me to say what I’m feeling and thinking.  I’m now making longer-term plans and decisions about the business.  As a result, I enjoy running the business more because I know we’re heading in the direction, rather than focusing on short-term fixes."