Coaching for High Growth

East Midlands Development Agency (emda), has today announced that is seeking 50 potential high growth businesses from across the East Midlands to take part in its new support programme for high growth businesses, called Coaching for High Growth.

Funded by emda and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Coaching for High Growth is part of Government's Solutions for Business portfolio, a suite of highly targeted, publicly funded products and services offering solutions to real business needs. Coaching for High Growth provides participating businesses an intensive and bespoke package of support over a 12 month period, to help them unlock their high growth potential.

Demand for places on Coaching for High Growth is expected to be high, so businesses with ambitious growth plans for 2010 and beyond are encouraged to apply early.

The support provided to each company is based around 1-2-1 coaching, with the programme carefully matching the needs of each business with a specialist and knowledgable growth coach, who will then work with the business to pin-point barriers to growth and put in place a clear growth strategy.

Alongside the coaching, each business has access to a programme of masterclasses, which provide further support to help the business and senior managers to prepare their business for growth using the latest tools and techniques.

The support offered will help business to:

- Put in place a clear vision and growth strategy
- Ensure the management structure and processes are right to facilitate sustainable high growth
- Increase sales and new routes to market
- Develop their competitive edge.

In total, the support is worth at least £20,000 to each business and participating businesses are required to provide just £2,000 to contribute towards the costs.

The support offered by Coaching for High Growth is client led, with the coach working with each business based around their own needs and priorities. Previous participants in emda's high growth programmes have reported that the support has had an overall positive influence on long term growth prospects, resulted in new business opportunities, increased teamwork and had an impact on bottom line performance.

To be eligible, businesses must have fewer than 250 employees, turnover between £500,000 and £40 million in their last financial year and the potential to increase sales by 20% per annum per year for the next three years.

Coaching for High Growth builds on emda's successful High Growth East Midlands programme, which has supported nearly 170 businesses since it was launched in early 2008. Over 1,000 jobs have been created or safeguarded and collectively businesses on the programme are forecast to increase their Gross Value Added (GVA) by £60 million.

emda's Executive Director of Business Services, Michael Carr, said: "Coaching for High Growth continues our investment to support the region's potential high growth business. The intensive and bespoke package of support is based on a proven formula to help businesses unlock their growth potential and can have a real impact on business performance.

"This programme of support can help businesses to maximise their high growth potential and I would strongly encourage all ambitious businesses to come forward and applying."

Coaching for High Growth is funded by emda and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).



Recruitment of the first 50 companies has now started. Delivery of the 12 month programme of support for the 2010 Coaching for High Growth participants will begin in June. For further information on Coaching for High Growth, including the application process, visit www.emda.org.uk/coaching . Alternatively, contact David Boath, Coaching for High Growth Recruiting and Communications Manager, via email info@coachingforhg.com or by telephone 0845 644 6963.