Cogent - an introduction

www.moorestephens.co.uk PREC ISE . PROVEN. PERFORMANCE .

Cog:entThe Cognisant Entrepreneurs’ Group

Supporting your business growth – An introduction

Cog:entThe Cognisant Entrepreneurs’ Group

Supporting your business growth – An introduction

Who should attend Cog:ent?The series is aimed at key business decision-

makers and influencers of growing and

ambitious organisations in the Thames

Valley. We are aiming to form a group of

40-50 participants with a willingness to

commit, participate, contribute and learn

over a two year growth timeframe. The

series is suitable for:

• ambitious and growing organisations;

• key decision makers who are willing to

commit, participate and contribute; and

• businesses with turnover more than

£3million and up to £100million.

Cog:ent 2015 – 2017Over the last two years we have run a

programme of eight thought leadership

workshops for the owners and leaders of

ambitious SMEs in the Thames Valley. The

events are highly interactive and topics

covered within the first series have included

“Building a world class team”, “Standing

out in your market place”, “Financing

growth” and “Planning for a successful

exit”.

Cog:ent is aimed at key decision makers,

such as the Chief Executives and Managing

Directors of ambitious, growing owner-

managed businesses in the Thames Valley.

It is:

• designed to deliver accessible, relevant,

timely and engaging content;

• based upon real world experiences and

learning; and

• focused on delivering practical, tangible

and long-term benefits for participating

businesses.

Combined, we have a proven record of

success for ambitious owner managers and,

given the feedback we have received, we

are pleased with the impact and reputation

that has begun to develop as a result of the

first series.

Our intention is to build on the success of

the last two years with an enhanced and

developed offering over the next two years.

Moore Stephens, in partnership with Telos Partners and HSBC, host the second series of Cog:ent. Cog:ent is a free two year programme of quarterly thought leadership workshops, helping ambitious business owners to build successful and sustainable businesses against the background of an improving economic climate.

1 Cog:ent – The Cognisant Entrepreneurs’ Group

Interested in signing up? Join us at our launch event on Thursday 25 June 2015, further information overleaf.

Format and contentThe format of the programme will

be developed in collaboration with

participants, to ensure it addresses their

desired outcomes. We propose short and

focused quarterly workshops centred on

a theme.

The first series of Cog:ent provided

accessible and relevant content, based

upon real experience and focused on

delivering practical benefits.

The feedback gathered from participants

and the 2015 Owner Managed Business

survey has given us an indication of likely

themes, including:

• building effective teams;

• creating successful cultures;

• attracting and retaining talent;

• successful growth strategies;

• managing innovation;

• building an international business; and

• succession planning.

We will explore and agree these themes

with the participants at the launch event.

WorkshopsEach half day session will provide the

opportunity to focus on each particular

theme and provide an opportunity to:

• hear first hand a relevant entrepreneurial

story;

• receive an overview of the relevant key

considerations for the theme;

• explore with others how to apply the

learning directly to your business context;

and

• commit to a course of appropriate action.

The workshops will include expertise from

external guest speakers, entrepreneurs and a

panel of experts. There will be opportunities

throughout the series for additional

one-on-one support and advice as required.

In addition to these regular events, we

anticipate there will be an opportunity for

participants to host on-site visits to, or

webinars on, their own businesses to profile

their business, and to share experiences

with their peers.

2Cog:ent – The Cognisant Entrepreneurs’ Group

Feedback from previous Cog:ent workshops

Features and benefits

From our experience Cog:ent has given business owners a forum to share and discuss experiences, including any issues they are facing with peers and experts, and this provides invaluable support.

3. Work on your business, rather than

in it

Quarterly workshops will give businesses a

regular, consistent and planned opportunity

to step back from the business, reflect on

progress and explore options and actions to

support growth.

4. Be an open forum to share

experiences and learn

Sectors/industries may vary, but the

challenges of growing a business are largely

the same. Remember – you are not alone.

5. Partner expertise and knowledge –

theory and practice

Our partners can offer Cog:ent participants

expertise on banking and finance; tax and

accounting; strategic, leadership and

change consultancy.

We have highlighted the features and

benefits of signing up to the Cog:ent

programme below. The programme is

complimentary and our intention is to add

value and support to growing owner

managed businesses in the Thames Valley.

The workshops are designed to:

1. Be outcome focused

The aim is to focus on your growth and

business outcomes rather than our inputs.

2. Support your business growth over

the next two years

The workshops include a supportive group

of peers, a panel of experts and regular

external guest entrepreneurs to give you a

practical approach to the issues and

challenges facing you and your

organisation.

3 Cog:ent – The Cognisant Entrepreneurs’ Group

Interested in joining? If you are a leader of an ambitious, growing

and established SME who wants to contribute

to and share in a collective exploration of

growth and sustained success then the

Cog:ent workshops are for you.

We will be hosting a launch event on

Thursday 25 2015 June at HSBC, 100 Brook

Drive, Green Park, Reading RG2 6UJ and

would be delighted to see you there. The

event will also give you a chance to:

• find out more about the second series;

• provide your input:

– what can we include that will help you

to grow your business?

• meet participants from previous event,

as well as other leaders from interested

organisations and businesses; and

• register and sign-up.

These workshops will be held at HSBC’s

seminar facility in Reading.

To register and for information email

Stacey Sanders:

[email protected] “ I was waiting/dreading “the sale” and was

delighted that it never happened. I usually avoid these types of sessions because I just do not want to be sold to. I really appreciated the way these sessions were done.“

Cog:ent participant


“ I thoroughly enjoy the guest speakers who come and share their stories. You suddenly realise you are not alone and things feel simpler and within reach.”

Cog:ent participant

5

Shared experiences

The Cog:ent programme has been developed through collaboration between Moore Stephens, Telos Partners and HSBC, bringing many years of experience advising thousands of owner managed businesses in the Thames Valley. The collective strength of Cog:ent can be found in the combined experiences of the participating businesses, Moore Stephens, HSBC and Telos Partners. By unlocking the potential of this learning we hope to create mutual benefit for all those participating and better support the growth of the Thames Valley region.

Moore Stephens is the UK’s 9th largest

independent accounting and consulting

network. We act for many owner managed

businesses, ranging from longstanding

family businesses, sole traders and

entrepreneurs through to Limited Liability

Partnerships and limited companies. We

offer assistance on the strategic business

decisions they will be required to make at

each stage of their company’s life cycle,

from HR consultancy to succession and

exit strategies.

Telos Partners is a global team of business

professionals united in one purpose – to

create sustainable success for our clients,

our business and ourselves. At Telos we

believe that success for any organisation

can only be sustained when the interests of

all stakeholders are aligned. To create

success that will last we also know that

both the ‘hard’ aspects of the organisation

(systems, processes and structures) and the

‘softer’ aspects (values, attitudes and

behaviours) need to be considered.

Business Banking with HSBC gives you

support from a dedicated Relationship

Manager with knowledge of the local

business environment, expert advice and

bespoke solutions to support every stage of

your business’ lifecycle. HSBC also has global

expertise in 63 countries, to help make

international business easier.

Contact details:

Adam Campbell – Partner

T 07931 370 478

E [email protected]

Paddy Radcliffe – Partner

T 07793 813 756

E [email protected]

Contact details:

Josh White – Relationship Director

T 07554 111 322

E [email protected]

Martin Dakin – Head of Business

Origination

T 07920 418 748

E [email protected]

Contact details:

Ian B Johnson – Partner

T 0118 952 4700

E [email protected]

Daniel Henwood – Associate

T 0118 952 4717

E [email protected]

Cog:ent – The Cognisant Entrepreneurs’ Group

“Running your own business can be quite a lonely place. Everyone wants a piece of you. So it’s good to be able to escape, spend time with likeminded people and think about working on

your business rather than in it.” Cog:ent participant


DPS28101 May 2015

Cogent - an introduction

Economy & Finance

Transcript of Cogent - an introduction