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The best of the best - here to help you grow your business

Experts panel

 

Good advice from an expert in their field can really help you develop your business, and networking is a fantastic way to meet people who have the skills and knowledge to give you that help. And for those who need longer-term or in-depth advice, members also have access to our carefully selected team of trusted We Mean Biz business experts. The panel is here to give you valuable advice and support without the need to pay for an adviser or coach.

Got a question? It's simple, just follow these steps:

  1. Choose the expert you'd like to answer your question
  2. Send us an email at experts@wemeanbiz.co.uk, putting your experts name in the subject box
  3. Give a brief description of your business and the issue you need help with. You can expect a reply within 24 hours.
Please note

As an expert in your own area of business, you will of course still have opportunity to promote your expertise and develop relationships within We Mean Biz, the panel is not meant to replace our member-to-member one-to-ones - it's there as a service for members to call upon when there is nobody in their immediate We Mean Biz group who can answer their questions.

Philippa Constable

We Mean Biz - Business Networking Expert & Business Coach

 

Before starting WMB in 2008, Philippa also ran another business successfully for 5 years and spent over 20 years working mainly in new business development and marketing in both the UK and New Zealand. This has given her a breadth of knowledge and experience that makes her well placed to advise business people who are new to networking and those wanting to improve results. Philippa has a great empathy especially with start-ups and those who are scared about the whole networking thing, and she's totally committed to supporting & helping members to achieve their goals and vision.

Philippa still remembers what it felt like to turn up for your very first networking event, and prides herself on teaching people the skills they need to network successfully. Having managed to grow a small business from nothing - Philippa knows how powerful networking is as a new business tool, in fact, she says that 80% of her own new business was generated from networking. Passionate about helping entrepreneurs and small business owners, she's always available for help, advice or just a chat. 

Website: https://www.wemeanbiz.co.uk/
Book a call: https://calendly.com/philippaconstable
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippaconstable/

Email your question now >

Tamsen Garrie

Business Growth Strategist

 

Tamsen has been supporting businesses with their growth since 2009 and in that time has worked with thousands of small business owners (many in this network!) to improve, grow and/or scale their business.  What she has learnt is that when business owners are not achieving the results they want, it’s ultimately because there’s a tension between what they want and what they’re actually doing.  That may sound simplistic.  And it is.  Fortunately, the solution is equally as simple.  The solution is strategy.

As a member of the Experts Panel, Tamsen can help you to see what’s getting in the way of growth for you, so that you can formulate the strategy to get moving again.

 

Email your question now >

James White

Small Business Sales Academy - Small Business Sales Expert

 

James White is the Small Business Sales Expert and Founder of the Small Business Sales Academy.  Having helped over 3000 small businesses since 2010, James knows what it takes to help small businesses and their sales teams thrive in current market conditions.  

With a specialist focus on service based businesses, James’ approach offers an expert review of sales processes (or lack thereof) from the first interaction through to closing the deal, leaving business owners and/or their teams with a play-by-play set of instructions on how to consistently close deals.  

As a member of our Experts Panel, James helps with tailored sales strategies to help every small business owner achieve their target and revenue goals, consistently.  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameswhitesales/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JamesWhiteSales/videos
SBSA Website:  www.smallbusinesssalesacademy.com
James White Website:  www.jameswhite.business

Email your question now >

Ros Conkie

Marketing Expert

 

Although she started her career as an engineer, Ros has been working in marketing and business development since 2004. Since then, she's turned her skills to marketing, giving small business owners a structured, logical approach to marketing that will give them a "marketing machine" that churns out long-term loyal customers.
 
Ros specialises in businesses that don't sell "quick wins": her clients typically sell services and products that people will take their time over when buying, which means a business's marketing has to work harder to support customers through the entire decision making process.
As a member of our Experts Panel, Ros can advise on all aspects of your marketing strategy and implementation, giving you a clearer idea of your marketing priorities and making sure your marketing machine is running effectively and efficiently to drive sales.
 

 

Email your question now >

Karen Goodbrand

Natalie Luckham

 

Natalie is the founder of Naturally Social, a social-first communications agency specialising in outsourced marketing for social media strategy, management and support. Naturally Social also provide social media training for teams within businesses.

Natalie has worked in the social media space since 2012 and was the second social media officer in local government in the UK. She set up Naturally Social in 2015 to support businesses navigating social, helping them to understand how to do it well.

Demand for her to manage clients' accounts grew once they understood the intricacies and specialism and that's when Naturally Social moved from a consultancy business to an agency model.

Insta: @nlysocial
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natluckham/
Website: https://www.naturallysocial.co.uk

 

Email your question now >

Belinda Furneaux-Harris

Branded & Unstoppable - Branding Expert

 

Branding your business well is more important than it's ever been. And it's about so much more than beautiful visuals, a smart logo or slick website. It's about having a meaningful message, incisive vision, irresistible offerings and owning your style. It's about knowing your worth and your values, finding your magic, and creating a destination brand. It's about putting YOU at the heart of everything you do and making your business the ONLY logical choice for your ideal client.

As a branding and marketing expert, Belinda has spent over 20 years working with clients all over the world with every type of business. From visionary start-ups and solopreneurs to iconic British and global companies, from bricks-and-mortar retailers to on-line ‘superstars’, she's helped them all achieve success. 

Website: https://brandedandunstoppable.com/about
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belinda-furneaux-harris-639a6614/

Email your question now >

Joanne Turner

Wards Solicitors - Legal Expert

 

Jo qualified as a solicitor in 2006 and has specialised in company and commercial law since.  She has worked for businesses of all sizes and in all sectors, advising on the full range of company and commercial matters, including:

• Share sales and purchases in a number of sectors, including the nuclear and telecoms industries
• Sales and purchases of care home, hospitality and retail businesses and assets
• Implementing changes to company structures, including complex share issue and transfer arrangements, capital reduction and share buy-back arrangements and bespoke, drafted articles of association and associated shareholder agreements

She particularly enjoys working with small to medium sized businesses, getting to know their owners and understanding their stories. Her clients appreciate her pragmatic, common-sense approach to matters, including her ability to explain complex concepts in plain English.

As a member of our Experts Panel, Jo can provide specialist commercial legal advice in plain, jargon-free language.

Website: https://www.chubb-bulleid.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnerjoanne/

Email your question now >

Gildas Jones

Dial a Geek - IT Expert

 

Dial A Geek was set up in 2006 with a mission to provide quality technical support to small businesses. They've grown since and now they help businesses of 10+ users unlock their people's potential with a smart use of tech.

From email migrations to full digital transformation, the ever-growing team of Geeks works as an extension of your team - without having to worry about a holiday or sick leave cover. They help businesses professionalise, scale up and grow, with a strong focus on productivity, security, and compliance.

As part of our Experts Panel, Gildas and his team can advise you on all aspects of your business technology and how it can help you reach your business goals.

Website: www.dialageek.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2250184

Email your question now >

Trula Brunsdon

Expert in HR

 

As well as being a qualified solicitor specialising in employment law, Trula is an Associated Member of the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development.

Through Sherbornes,Trula works with businesses of all sizes – basically anyone who has employees. She can assist businesses with onboarding staff, preparing employment contracts, policies and procedures, as well as dealing with addressing problems during the employment relationship such as disciplinary issues and grievances, redundancies, poor performance or sickness absence.

Trula gives straightforward, no nonsense advice and guidance on how to deal with the situation, allowing business owners to get the problem sorted effectively so they can get back to their day to day work.

Sherbornes also offer a fixed cost retainer service for those needing ongoing support.

Website: https://sherborneslaw.co.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trula-brunsdon-0998a940/

 

Email your question now >

Jo Lund

Business Protection Expert

 

With over 20 years in the mortgage and protection industry, Jo took the decision to give up mortgage advice and move over to specialising in Business Protection 2 years ago.

The reason for this, having always been a huge advocate for protection with her personal clients and having seen firsthand the difference that having cover can make, she was approached by a mortgage client of hers to set up some business protection for his company. The client in question ran a very successful consultancy firm alongside 3 fellow directors. Sadly, one of his fellow directors had passed away and his shares were now the property of the deceased shareholders wife who had no interest in being involved in the business. This meant the remaining shareholders had to buy them back from her, and with the company being as successful as it was this was reflected in the value of the shares. This left them with the task of raising £500,000 at short notice.

After many discussions with the bank and lots of sleepless nights they managed to find the funds, however the client was unaware that they could have protected against this in the 1st place with a simple shareholder protection policy on each shareholder, and a cross-option agreement to set the terms out. They were never advised that this was an option….

Having been passionate about personal protection for clients, Jo realised what a huge gap there was in the market for protecting business owners, businesses and their employees, so made it her mission to help educate business owners and help protect they and their loved ones from the worst happening.

Learn more about Jo's business here: www.pangealife.co.uk 

Email your question now >

 

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