When the pandemic hit, the first thought Richard Ross had was of the time he found himself running a struggling business. He remembered how lonely it felt; how difficult it was to get good advice … or even just an understanding ear. He realised that the COVID-19 crisis would mean many entrepreneurs would be faced with daunting decisions – and he also realised that, after 25 years as a director of wealth managers and business advisers Chadwicks, he knew the people who could help them make better decisions.

He called ten hugely experienced business leaders he had worked with and respected. These were people who had built businesses employing tens, hundreds even thousands of people; businesses that anyone would be proud to own and to work with. He asked if they were interested in putting something together. They were, and the Sounding Board was born. From the outset, all involved were adamant that there should be no barriers to businesses accessing advice and it was agreed that the advice should be given at no cost. Richard feels this is an important aspect ‘if your business is under stress the last thing you feel can afford is external advice, even if that is possibly the most important thing you could buy. Offering our services free of charge really emphasises that our focus is on helping you build a better business; our motivation is seeing you succeed.’ 

Discussions with the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership led to The Sounding Board being adopted as a growth pathway for Scale Up New Anglia. Morgan Potter and his team have been very helpful in signposting high-growth businesses to the Sounding Board. These businesses had typically been very successful but were unsure of their next step. Having two Sounding Board members to bounce ideas off, to hone a raft of ideas into a focussed coherent plan has proved invaluable to the businesses who have engaged.

Although the programme is free of charge, businesses involved are encouraged to make a meaningful charitable donation if they feel the process has added value. We are aiming to raise £50,000 to help the Norfolk Community Foundation tackle food insecurity in Norfolk.

So what now? The Sounding Board are now looking for the next group of businesses to work with. They are looking for businesses facing big decisions and, most importantly, the commitment to invest the time required to see the programme through.

If you think you would like to work with The Sounding Board, this is a good guide for becoming a candidate;

👉 All businesses great and small who aspire to improve.

👉 Businesses that are struggling with:

👉 Growth (too much as well as not enough)

👉 Strategic direction and planning

👉 Shareholder planning (planning for exit, succession planning, …)

👉 Stress or a specific crisis

👉…… or any business issue/problem/thinking you want the share. These are driven by you.

 Find out more; Home | voices of experience (thesoundingboard.org.uk) where you will discover more about the Sounding Board programme, the members, the people they have helped, and an application form to register your interest.