Business Mentors in Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is known for many beautiful towns and cities, Bath, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Oxford, Tewkesbury as well as the picturesque Cotswolds.

Businesses across Gloucestershire continue to grow and the range of that growth is huge. From companies like McGurk Group and fashion marketplace Secret Sales to architects Roberts Limbrick, engineering giant Renishaw, cyber expert ReformIT and start-ups like Eco-Able – every sector is thriving and its home to the biggest ice cream factory in the UK is the Walls factory in Gloucester.

Simon Ford, managing director of Allstone and Speedy Skips which started as a local family business just round the corner to the family home in Denmark Road, Gloucester. “I met Sir John Harvey Jones when I was 19, 20 and asked him for some advice on how to run and grow a business. He said ‘change or die’. In other words you have to be continuously changing – or go out of business. You have to see what people want, what is lacking in a market”.

As for any advice he may have himself: “There are two snippets I live by. Always treat people as you want to be treated. The second thing is really that you never stop learning. Every single day is a learning day. You gather that knowledge throughout your day, until you die. Always be humble, never be big headed and always be prepared to learn.” He added: “I have heard it a lot, where people get asked that question – ‘what advice would you give?’. It is a difficult one. My mother taught me just to work your socks off, follow your heart. The old man used to say, ‘buy something for a pound, sell it for two, just to cover your costs’.
Always buy the best things. If your business is selling something – you must believe in that product no matter if it costs a little bit more. Believe in yourself. It is a lonely business. There is no one patting me on the back and there isn't going to be. It can be a lonely place”.

Graham Ballantyne

Graham Ballantyne

Graham has been working with and supporting business owners and directors for over 30 years. Having worked with thousands of businesses across a host of sectors he is well placed to support you.

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Nigel Browne

Nigel Browne

Hi, I’m Nigel Browne. When you’re running a business, it can be tough finding time to focus on the big picture. The day-to-day demands of the job can make it almost impossible to keep up with this ever-changing business environment.

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Testimonial

  • "Nigel is straight talking, honest and able to get to the crux of the issues you may be facing very quickly. If you need business advice, look no further!"
    Karen L - Bristol, Gloucestershire

    Find additional business mentors near Gloucestershire

    From time to time, we may refer you to a mentor in one of Gloucestershire's neighbouring counties such as Bristol, Herefordshire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire or the West Midlands. This normally only happens if your business local mentors are at full capacity or if we feel an alternative mentor would provide a stronger match for your specific needs, or if it works better for you logistically. You can learn more about each of the local business mentors for those regions by selecting the relevant county below:

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