Business support services in Leeds
96% positive rating from our members*
Thrive with other business owners
Business advisory boards
Discover a different kind of business support in Leeds.
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 business coaches in Leeds
Dave McCartney (North Leeds and Centre)
Start your TAB journey by contacting Dave
Dave is the owner of The Alternative Board in the Leeds North & Centre region. He is a seasoned and successful executive with a broad range of experience gained over the last 26 years operating at a senior level for public, family owned and venture capital backed businesses.
His particular expertise lies in sales and marketing, operations and strategic planning. He has specialist knowledge of the B2B distribution sector, and the food and chemical industries in particular. He managed his first business at the age of 23 and fast tracked through the corporate environment holding a range of sales, operations, project management and senior business roles before ultimately becoming Managing Director of Fiske Food Ingredients, the UK’s leading food ingredient distributor at the age of 40.
He moved into the private sector and has been a Director/Managing Director of two privately owned family businesses and CEO of a VC backed technology business. It was in this role that he experienced the full benefits and value of a Board of talented Non Executive Directors that assisted him in signing a major licensing contract with a €5bn European dairy business.
Having originally graduated in Chemical Engineering, Dave received further business training at the University of California and Ashridge Management College. He has a passion to help business owners focus on the key strategic issues, plan the way ahead and deliver on their targets to drive even greater value and success. His role at The Alternative Boards allows him to do just that.
Start your TAB journey by contacting Simon
Simon Banks is a facilitator and business coach for The Alternative Board Leeds South & Wakefield region. Simon’s background is in management for a larger organisation and in SME ownership and he continues to run his own successful manufacturing business in West Yorkshire.
He has over thirty years of sales and business management experience and very strong leadership, organisational and planning skills developed during time spent working in the manufacturing sector both in a larger organisation as senior manager and shareholder and more recently as the owner of an SME business. Simon has continued to develop his skill set through the steep challenges faced when starting and growing a manufacturing business. He sees the support, advice and guidance from his coach and peers as a longstanding member of The Alternative Board, as critical to the progress of his business.
Having achieved his vision for his own manufacturing business with the support of TAB, Simon made the decision to apply the experience he has derived from 6 years of TAB membership to offer that same support to other business owners in his community, enabling them to develop and achieve their vision for themselves and their business.
Discover the benefits of our business support in Leeds
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.
Hear from our Leeds members
As a new member of TAB I've sat on 4 peer board meetings and have had 7 coaching sessions with Simon. 22 hours that has helped me grow my business by 140% over the worst, strangest and most challenging months that any company could face.
Being a TAB member has been insightful, engaging, and time well spent working on my business.
"Before TAB, I didn’t really have anyone I could talk to about business issues. Getting reassurance from my board on things I’m thinking of doing gives me more confidence to get on with it. I really value the openness of my board and facilitator, which allows me to say what I’m feeling and thinking. I’m now making longer-term plans and decisions about the business. As a result, I enjoy running the business more because I know we’re heading in the direction, rather than focusing on short-term fixes."
"TAB has given me coaching sessions, focusing on the positive elements of my business and helping to grow and develop during what is probably the most difficult trading period we have encountered. TAB has also invited me to a monthly board meeting where I joined six existing members, all of whom have extensive business experience and have provided me with some invaluable advice, guidance and accountability."
The accountability I get from my TAB Board and facilitator makes me do the things I say I’m going to do – integrity is a key value for me “I am less likely to let things drift if I share my plans and intentions with someone.
To share my years of experience and help others with their business challenges is very cathartic and rewarding.
I have worked for AES for 20 years and I assumed full ownership and control of the business, following a 5 year management buy-out. I joined TAB with the expectation that it would provide me with an opportunity to discuss, implement and manage changes that would allow the business to grow, with the support and experience of other business owners. During the last 12 months that I have been a member, TAB has been a vital resource to challenge my ideas and enable me to make better decisions. Working on a Business Advisory Board with other like-minded business owners from various sectors has enabled me to access support, experience and knowledge to help me to run my company.
My TAB Board helped me through a very difficult period with another business I was running. They gave me sound advice on dealing with the other shareholders, meaning the outcome was much better than it might otherwise have been.
The accountability I get from TAB is refreshing. As business owners, you can be as good or lazy as you want to be and no one will challenge you. With TAB, I know they will challenge me, which gives me much more focus to get on with what I need to do. TAB has helped me change the structure of the business, enabling me to delegate more and focus on the important things to take the business forward. During Covid, we needed a new way of growing the business. With the board’s help we put together a plan, which has significantly contributed to our turnover doubling in the last 2 years.
My confidence has grown enormously as a result of the support from Dougie and TAB. Every time I take what feels like a big issue to my Board, I come away feeling that it is much easier to deal with because of the advice I’ve been given by people from very different businesses and backgrounds.
FAQ's
TAB's business support in Leeds is an excellent choice for you and your business. Here are just three reasons why business owners would benefit from TAB:
- Our business coaches in Leeds have experience
Both Dave and Simon are seasoned business professionals. Both have experience in running successful businesses, and both are passionate about helping business leaders in Leeds run more successful businesses and be happier over all. - 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 Leeds, 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. Contact Dave or Simon to find out more.
Start your journey with TAB
Get in touch with Dave or Simon.
They 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 Leeds 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.
Our services cover a plethora of business contexts including:
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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