Regeneration

13th September 2012

Last week I went to the launch of the Mary Portas town regeneration scheme in Braintree, (which will also help Witham and Halstead), and was delighted to find a real buzz of small business owners all trying to promote their wares, and trying to instill new enthusiasm in their town, with the general public.

Some of them had already been to a course on how to start up a business, and they were all keen to put the theory into practice. The thing that struck one most however, was although they had had the initial training, I could already tell that a number of them were floundering as to what to do next.

Being given some understanding of marketing, cash management etc. is of course better than nothing. But speaking from my own experience, even having taken copious notes at various seminars I have been to, without someone to back it up, and refresh your memory, it very soon gets forgotten, and the knowledge you thought you had is often so sketchy that it can become more of a hindrance than a help.

This of course is why coaching works. Instead of giving people a brief overview of a subject, and then leaving them to get on with it, the coach comes back time and time again, until they fully understand the tools they have been given, and can use them effectively.

Going back to the Braintree regeneration, I fear for a lot of these new businesses, if they don’t get proper support. Of course the Portas scheme should be providing that, so let’s hope it really brings what it says it will, and we see some of our local towns start to reap the benefits.

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