Business support services in Exeter
96% positive rating from our members*
Thrive with other business owners
Business advisory boards
Discover a different kind of business support in Exeter.
Imagine having the backing of a group of like-minded business owners who come together to advise one another on their most pressing business challenges.
An inspired solution that has proven results - our advisory boards run every month in a safe, confidential environment and mean you don’t have to go it alone.
One-to-one business coaching
Keep focused, accountable and on track to achieve your business and personal goals.
To complement the advisory boards, members get a monthly one-to-one session with their TAB facilitator and coach.
Business Builder’s Blueprint
Have access to our exclusive strategic business planning process: The Business Builder’s Blueprint.
This toolkit is designed so you can focus on getting your business working for you.
TAB Connect
Share best practice with and seek help from like-minded individuals across the globe.
TAB operates in over 20 countries around the world, and through our exclusive online platform, business owners can collaborate with one another to solve their business challenges.
Your TAB business coaches in Exeter
Start your TAB journey by contacting Rick
I am the owner of The Alternative Board in Exeter.
At heart, I am a small business owner. Both in terms of experience and temperament. I understand the intense rewards, and, also the frustrations, of running your own company. I empathise with anyone doing so.
For almost 20 years I was co-owner and Senior Partner of a London-based market research agency. Recently, I sold it to another agency. As Senior Partner, I was responsible for key aspects of the business, including planning, finance, sales and marketing, operations, and personnel.
My experience includes winning projects and nurturing key accounts with major MNCs like BT, RS Components, and Google, implementing a wide range of internal processes – enabling ISO compliance – and extensive mentoring of staff. I have degrees in Politics and Computing Science and am a Certified Member of the UK Market Research Society.
Having sold my business, I took time out and travelled with my family. When it came to my next role, I knew I wanted to help small business owners. The Alternative Board allows me to do just that. I saw at once the value of accessing peer board advice, private coaching and strategic tools.
One of my key motivations is for my family to be able to live in a healthy environment, surrounded by beautiful countryside and coast. I’m therefore delighted to be able to bring the benefits of TAB to the business community in and around Exeter. `
If you’d like to hear more about those benefits, please get in touch.
Discover the benefits of our business support in Exeter
Start with you
Focus on what you want in life and how your business can help get you there.
Increase profitability
Be held accountable to meet your business targets.
Improve decisions
Take control of your decisions through peer support and proven planning tools
Make better time choices
Spend your time well by utilising the experience of others.
Become a better leader
Motivate your people with the guidance of peers and an expert coach.
Plan a successful exit
Get the best result for you with tailored, hands-on support.
According to Sage.com, 93% of small and medium sized businesses acknowledge that mentoring can help them to succeed. External business support can be the difference to take your business to the new level.
Hear from our Exeter members
Rick and The Alternative Board. Well, what can I say? He has a knack of putting together groups that support each other, hold each other accountable and raise each other up. They reflect all the best bits of yourself and help you grow, but give you space to just be when you're struggling.
In Rick's 121's, I'm able to go through everything so calmly and methodically, helping me to feel in control, and like everything is achievable.
On the boards everything comes together, and each person has an angle that allows them to step back and see your own challenge in a way that you cannot. Rick facilitates these effortlessly.
I was not ready for how much being part of one of Rick's boards would change my life, and the way I view myself.
Working with Rick Dent and the TAB board has been a fantastic opportunity for myself and my organisation to gain clarity in our strategic planning.
Rick has a great ability to tease out information from you so you can formulate a plan moving forward. The one-to-one sessions with Rick provide structure and I always leave with a call to action list, these sessions are invaluable.
The TAB board provide a safe confidential environment to discuss any issues you are facing within your business with likeminded associates. You gain an insight into what works for others and provide each other with tips and tools to overcome any internal problems.
Personally, it has provided a clear pathway and my business has gone from strength to strength since I became a member of the TAB board.
I've worked with Rick and other local business owners over the past two years as part of a TAB board. It has had a positive impact on our business and on my role as the CEO. Rick has been an expert facilitator of the board and has provided valuable guidance and support to me in one-to-one sessions, asking all the right questions to help me keep the company on the right track. The board has provided useful advice on various topics, from HR to marketing, strategy, and planning. I can't overstate the value of getting direct advice and challenges from people who have 'been there and done that'. I recommend Rick's services and the board to people in a similar position.
Rick has helped me hugely through what has been an extremely difficult time for both the business and for me personally. When you're running a business, it's easy to think that you are the only one meeting challenges but being part of the board makes you realise that that is definitely not the case.
I have received some great advice on my pain points from the other board members and I find it so valuable to be able to put my ideas and problems to people working outside of the business and industry. I have put in place many of the solutions given to me by the board and I know we are a stronger company as a result.
Rick has also helped me to put strategic plans in place to focus on moving the business forward in a direction that is going to be good for me personally as well as for the business. The suite of online tools available help to keep me accountable and I am thoroughly enjoying being able to look back at the progress we have made so far.
Rick listens, guides and supports me in finding the right path to pursue both professionally and personally and I would highly recommend working with him and TAB.
Personally, it has provided a clear pathway and my business has gone from strength to strength since I became a member of the TAB board.
Working with Rick has really helped me kick my business on. Highly recommended.
I've been part of TAB with Rick as my facilitator since May 2021. Initially, I was sceptical about the cost-benefit of joining, but it's been a precious experience. Our group of business owners brings both a complementary and, at the same time, diverse perspective, and I always have at least one gem of an idea or knowledge. Rick is a great facilitator, keeping people on track and offering wisdom when necessary. The one-to-one meetings are also really valuable, ensuring that I step back from my business and view it objectively while keeping me accountable. Monthly meetings keep me on track, moving the business forward the whole time.
Rick is simply a great coach and facilitator - impartial and yet incredibly supportive. After a session with Rick, you have a clear action list and feel confident in your decision-making. The growth of our business has no doubt been directly related to the work we’ve achieved and the accountability we have to our goals thanks to Rick.
FAQ's
TAB's business support in Exeter is an excellent choice for you and your business. Here are just three reasons why business owners would benefit from TAB:
- Our business coach in Exeter has experience
Rick Dent is a seasoned business professional who, for almost 20 years, owned and ran his own business based in London. As well as his experience, Rick has the passion of helping small business owners thrive in their business and their personal lives. - TAB's business support starts with you
Rather than focusing on your strategic or recruitment problems straight away, our services start with you, the business owner. We want to help you identify what you want from life, and then we can work with you to grow your business so you achieve that personal vision. - A combination of complementary services
At TAB in Exeter, you don't just get business coaching, but those sessions are complemented really well with our advisory boards and our exclusive online strategic planning platform. This means through our support services, you'll have every avenue covered to grow your business and become a better leader.
Unlike traditional business meetings that many of us have experienced, a TAB board gives everyone equal time - equal time to discuss and seek help on their own challenge or opportunity. There is a structured process for the running of the meeting which means everyone also has the opportunity to give their own advice and opinion. We don't allow one person to 'hog' a meeting!
In combination with the TAB meeting, members also get access to our business coaching services.
The other business owners and leaders on your board will be very experienced and will have no vested interest in your business, other than a desire to help you. As a result, they'll give you impartial business advice based on real-world experience because often they will have faced similar challenges themselves. What's even greater is you get to do the same for them. Not only does the board provide accountability and expert advice, it becomes a mechanism for developing valuable friendships.
If you have decided you want to improve yourself and your business, but feel like you don't have the time, how will that change if you don't take action?
TAB encourages you to take time away from your business and benefit from the insight, experience, and wisdom of your TAB facilitator and your fellow board members. It's a chance to take a step back. This way, you can actually save time by making better decisions and learning from others.
Whilst all businesses are unique in some way, they still face many of the same major issues with time, people, strategy, money, vision and exit.
You are an expert in your sector, but we are all experts in business. The advantage of working with fellow business owners and leaders from diverse backgrounds is their ability to provide new perspectives and different ways to handle the same situation based on real world experience.
You will also get the opportunity to help others with their business growth, by offering your perspective and advice. It's a win-win!
We are confident you will get a return on investment for your monthly TAB membership fee. As we offer personalised business support services, a conversation with your nearest TAB facilitator will guide you through the process and allow them to provide you with your bespoke quote.
We’re so confident in our service that we offer a money-back guarantee - if you don’t feel you’ve received value after three months of TAB membership, we’ll give your money straight back.
Put simply, no – a competitor cannot join your board. We have a comprehensive process which makes sure that you do not sit on a board with potential competitors. A key part of our screening process allows existing members to prevent new members from joining their board where they feel a conflict of interest could exist. This will guarantee no competitors join your group.
Some of our TAB facilitators offer the opportunity to attend a TAB Taster Board Meeting, giving you the chance to experience how TAB works and the value it can provide for you and your business. Equally, if there are places on an existing board and your facilitator thinks you'd be a good fit, they may invite you as a guest. Find your nearest TAB Facilitator to get the conversation started!
Start your journey with TAB
Get in touch with Rick.
He will contact you to arrange an introductory meeting.
During which, you’ll chat about whether TAB business coaching is right for you and your business.
Attend your first TAB board meeting and coaching session to discover the power of peer support.
Find business support in Exeter by getting in touch.
There’s no obligation, only an opportunity to find out more.
Tell us more about you
One of the team will be in touch to book an introductory chat.
Driving business growth through peer support
Thousands of business owners have experienced true growth through the business support services at TAB.
Sustaining growth
Satisfying stakeholders
Our business support success stories
Scaling Up with Confidence: George Goss’s Business Journey with TAB
by George Goss
Scoring Big: How Blueblood Transformed Their Business Game with TAB
by Dale Harris and Ben Cook
Bridget's Journey from Tradition to Transformation with TAB
by Bridget Petty
Strategic Innovation & Mentorship | Dev4 Online Success Story
by Gail Henderson
TAB offers solidarity and a great sounding board
by Matt Hamlin
From Struggle to Strength: Professor Deborah Eyre's TAB Journey
by Deborah Eyre
The TAB York Effect: Tripling PPS Ltd's Revenue in Record Time
by Joseph Fitzpatrick
From Struggles to Triumph: Kerrell's Journey to SME Success through TAB
by Kerrell Blyth
The Power of Peer Support: From Bedroom Startup to £2.5M Turnover Powerhouse
by Sheri Irons
Cema Vending Achieved Commercial Success with TAB's Support
by Simon Leadley
StratPro with TAB holds our leaders to account
by Steven O'Brien
StratPro with TAB finally gave me a cohesive and collaborative team
by Stephen Attree
Time to think more independently
by David Scalley
I've stopped doubting myself as a leader
by Ian Hazeldine
Customer success story about Ian Hazeldine who joined TAB and stopped doubting himself as a leader, and got to grips with people management and his finances.
Peer support energised my business ambitions
by Skylar Atkinson
Customer success story about Skylar Atkinson at Belvoir Aberdeen, who has strengthened her business and brand after being part of a TAB board.
Selling my business quicker
by Hywel Parry
Customer success story about Hywel Parry, Director at Lime Tree Vets, who sold his business quicker and met his personal vision through the help of TAB.
Finding the support infrastructure I was looking for
by Suzanne Lawson
Suzanne Lawson from Moorland Contract Group shares her business journey and how TAB was exactly the support she was looking for.
How TAB gave me a new lease of life
by Anna-Marie Eardley
Anna-Marie Eardley, Owner of Waterloo Quay Properties, tells us her story and how TAB gave her a new lease of life.
My debt of gratitude to TAB after 400% turnover boost
by Adam Bell
Adam Bell, director at marketing agency Moment, shares his story and his gratitude to TAB after helping him achieve a 400% turnover boost.
Growing in confidence as a leader
by Jolanta Jankowski
Read Jolanta's story about how joing a TAB Board has helped her to develop her role and confidence as the Operations Manager at her business.
Saving time and working smarter not harder
by Rob Watson
Customer success story about Rob Watson, business owner at ph9 Ltd, and how TAB has helped him to save time and make smarter decisions.
Becoming a better business leader
by Dr Stewart Desson
Success story about Dr Stewart Desson from Lumina Learning who became a better leader after joining a TAB Board.
Rediscovering myself as an individual
by Kirsty Davies-Chinnock
Kirsty-Davies Chinnock, Managing Director at PPS Ltd tells us how TAB helped her to rediscover herself and to meet her goals.
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