David Dyer

As someone who has been the CEO, a Chair and director and an advisor to many founder-led businesses, I agree that chemistry is a critical component to foster a fruitful relationship between the founder and the “hired hand”. However, managing expectations of both parties is even more important. Establishing a  clear vision and path to the future at the beginning- and knowing it will evolve- helps to ground the important initiatives that must be taken. It is also critical  to show respect to the founder and his/her knowledge and perspectives, whether you agree or not, and acknowledge that these views are one of the reasons you were attracted to the opportunity in the first place. They are the essence of the brand and the company. Many founders don’t speak in “entrepreneur speak” which can be intimidating and off-putting. It is important for the outsider to manage his/her vocabulary and actions accordingly and to listen carefully.  To be an “entrepreneur whisperer”.   Lastly, I think managing a founder-led company requires some freedom for the founder- I say it is important to put the butterfly in a cage but give it ample room to fly around unobstructed. The same goes for creative founders. 

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What I like about Philip Belcher's approach to a company turnaround, is the different lens CEOs should look at sales through - rather than focusing on sales at a high level, focus on value and offering. Great insights, thank you for working with us on this piece! https://lnkd.in/eg4TsP8H

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Great to see Graeme. I think there will be over 5000 EOTs by 2028, but we have to support them better on business strategy, make sure they have better Governance and Competive Advantage. Same business, better model but better business strategy. We are not always seeing that last piece.

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My colleague Matt Clark and I wrote a short piece on UK Christmas sales predictions - please give it a read! 😀 Long story short - sales should be up but inflation and the recent Budget changes likely mean EBITDA takes another hit. https://lnkd.in/dKdnW3CQ #Christmas #retail #shopping #ChristmasShopping #BlackFriday

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In the UK we own more and more clothing that we are getting less and less use out of, and this comes with a high environmental price tag. Join Green Alliance and PwC UK on 22 April for a webinar to discuss how circular reuse business models can help fashion brands respond to this challenge and deliver what consumers want to see from a greener clothing industry. #EarthDay #Fashion #CircularEconomy

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At i10 we are a digital, data and technology public sector transformation specialists, committed to enabling the people and organisations we work with to be the best they can be. We are fully dedicated to the UK public sector and our innovative ecosystem approach enables us to provide best in class expertise from our network of SMEs to tailor our transformation teams to the unique needs of each client programme. Everything we do is underpinned by our commitment to social purpose which underpins everything we do: from offsetting our carbon footprint to supporting the communities our clients serve. #i10 #transformation #transform

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Your business strategy is key to your scale-up growth, so it’s essential to prioritise and get it right. See how a Part-time Strategy Director could support you with: 1. Nailing the process 2. Creating resilient strategies 3. Keeping on track #strategy #business #growth

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FUNDING ALERT 💸 💰 £10,000 + mentoring + pro-bono support 👩‍💻 Young founders, aged 16-25, based in the UK and Europe 📅 17th January 2025 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eTXTu6qp Could your business idea change the world? Here’s your chance to prove it. The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge is provided by Verizon and Unloc. If you’re 16–25 and have a fresh and innovative tech-led idea, The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge could help you get your business off the ground—or if you’ve already launched, boost it to the next level. Business proposals must meet the following criteria: ⭐ Be legal in all mainland European countries. ⭐Be either a pre-start (not yet trading); or not have been trading for more than three years and have an annual turnover of less than £100,000 (€120,000) in its most recent financial year. ⭐Be the applicant's own idea and not infringe on the copyright, patent or intellectual property of others. The overall winner receives a £10,000 grant. The winner also attends the One Young World 2025 Global Summit in Munich, Germany. This annual event brings together young leaders from 190+ countries and 250+ organisations. Gillian O'Brien Richard Finch Robert Blackburn Richard Leighton Hazel Kennedy Anthony Murphy Benjamin Dalton Yenny Weng Mei Anthony James Barber

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In this short ten minute video I speak to Ben Morgan, Strategic Category Lead, Mölnlycke Health Care, about his CIPS - The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply journey so far with Lean Procurement Ltd. We talk firstly about his reasons for starting the qualification at Level 4 and also why he decided to progress to Level 5. During the discussions Ben also talks about the individual and organisational benefits of undertaken the qualification. He shares insights on how the CIPS training has enhanced his professional skills, provided a broader understanding of procurement strategies, and contributed to his career growth. Whether you are considering starting your own CIPS journey or are interested in the tangible benefits it can bring, this video offers valuable perspectives from someone who is successfully undertaking the process. 😀

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This number should concern anyone with a business holding or processing data and the more data you're responsible for, the more concerned you should be. To give further context this represents the number of incidents the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) is aware of and since we have a UK population of approx 68.3 million which suggests some people had their personal data stolen in multiple incidents. Cyber criminals won't stop and their tactics are only getting more sophisticated so if you're not 100% certain your business is keeping data is safe & secure it's in your best interest best to check. And if you're not sure how secure your IT infrastructure is then I'd be happy to help provide you with some clarity with a free 30 minute consultation. Book here: https://lnkd.in/dP-EDjRN

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Uh oh…in the UK we need to very quickly decide what we’re going to be ‘known for’ / experts in, because dawdling around like we have for the last 20 years has sees us going backwards! The government (whichvee denomination) needs to drive productivity, investment and global recognition else the story we see below will start to spread across all industries and sectors.

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Competitor or Comrade? How you choose to see people determines your behaviour. I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Martin John my fellow comrade in the work of negotiation and influence consulting and training. We spoke on the journey of building our businesses, the love we have for going deep with the clients we work with and how much we care about making a meaningful difference through the work we do. Believing in something bigger than ourselves allows us to share ideas, collaborate and recognise the huge impact we can have through helping more and more people communicate effectively to get agreements that matter. Do you spend time working with people to determine how much value you can create together? Or trying to ‘out do’ each other - losing sight of the bigger picture. While the UK gears up for election time it’s clear that each politician sees their counterparty as competition not a comrade. It will be fascinating to observe how much value is going to be destroyed in the process.

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Is your business ready to scaleup? ASCEND might be just what you need 👇

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Lots of wisdom in how the UK can step up its VC ecosystem. Most European countries could learn from this playbook. #VC #ecosystem

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❌ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗲 Interesting assessment from Professor Adrian Palmer, head of marketing and reputation at Henley Business School, who sees parallels with the ‘wheel of retailing’, a theory that outlines the evolutionary process of retail businesses in which initial enthusiasm often gives way to complacency.   Here are his takes on what we can learn from the The Body Shop ❌ The brand's loss of #relevance among key market segments stemmed from a perception that its values were no longer distinctive, and its once innovative products had become commonplace. ❌ Successive changes in #ownership and leadership led to confusion in market positioning and increased competition from copycat brands. ❌ The The Body Shop faced a lack of #investment from owners unwilling to inject more funds into the business. Amid allegations of financial mismanagement, The Body Shop is closing 75 stores in the UK, prompting calls for a review of its downfall by MPs. Also, Founder Anita Roddick's vision emphasizes the importance of ethical considerations in business decisions, highlighting the risk to #brand #reputation when straying from ethical roots. The Body Shop's 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱, 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁. https://lnkd.in/gpVS_Y4J #beautyindustry #multichannel #lessonslearned #executivesearch

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Sainsbury’s partnership with Microsoft highlights the increasing importance of AI and machine learning in optimising retail operations! By leveraging advanced technologies and data analytics, businesses can streamline processes, improve efficiency, and deliver more personalised services, setting a precedent for future collaborations in the industry. #AI #Retail #DataAnalytics

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