A national business support organisation has launched a free programme designed to help companies navigate today’s acute commercial challenges and shape a long-term plan to succeed and grow. 

Business support: Chris Rigby, business coach and TAB facilitator Aberdeenshire East

Devised for company owners or key decision-makers in large organisations. The Alternative Board’s RISE Above initiative directly addresses many of the key business-related questions posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The virtual training and engagement programme is aimed at bringing together senior business figures to share knowledge, views and experience – and thus help individual participants to develop a new-look action plan for their enterprise.

RISE Above – based on the principles of Reassess, Inspect, Strategy and Execute – is the latest development tool introduced by The Alternative Board (TAB), a peer-to-peer advisory and networking platform for business leaders.

Programme sessions will be professionally facilitated and the four-part series starts on Tuesday, May 19 (2020).

Chris Rigby, business coach and TAB facilitator Aberdeenshire East, said: 
“RISE Above is a genuinely distinctive engagement opportunity because it is focused primarily on the practical realities of operating a business today – on how to steer a course through the current challenges and emerge in good shape for future success.

“It’s a platform for business owners and leaders to assess their business models and operations; to understand what needs to change and what a tangible development strategy might look like. 

“By engaging with their peers, they will gain fresh perspectives on their unique challenges and a sounding board for their own ideas. And the round-table nature of the programmes means they will be able to share their own knowledge and views with other businesspeople who, like them, need to map a way forward.”

The online sessions will cover areas such as strategic decision-making, competitive strengths and weaknesses, prospective new opportunities and markets, and an assessment of supply chain, customers and revenue streams. 

Chris added: “RISE Above is about sharing information, counsel and support in a confidential setting – about equipping participants to move their business forward with new energy and confidence.” 

TAB was launched in Scotland in 2017 and has seven peer-to-peer boards, four in the north-east and three in the Glasgow area. There are plans to create a further board in the north-east. The combined turnover of participating companies at present is £120m. 

Each TAB board comprises up to eight business owners, directors or decision makers at larger companies. The boards provide a trusted space for experienced entrepreneurs to share experience and knowledge at monthly meetings hosted by a TAB facilitator who also provides one-to-one support. 

Additional management resources are also available, as is access to a worldwide network of business owners and leaders.