Business Overview
Lynette has a background in tailoring and worked in the IT industry in videoconferencing and software; an intrinsic part of her roles being the customer experience. She founded Tailored For You to create unique and individually-made beautifully tailored bespoke suits based on sophisticated scanner technology.
Isla started mentoring Lynette under the Rural Business Mentoring Scheme, working with her through the High Growth Mentoring and on into Growth Accelerator, and including some self-funded mentoring,
The business support has focused on taking Tailored For You through initial proof of concept to test production.
Delivery
Isla used a variety of models and tools both established and impromptu, from goal setting to decision making, each suited to Lynette’s needs and challenges both short and long term. Lynette had additional outsourced skills training, such as sales, which Isla incorporated into the mentoring delivery.
How we did it
Initially Isla worked with Lynette under the GWE Rural Enterprise Adapt to Survive scheme to start the software development and establish options for business growth. Lynette then self-funded the mentoring before continuing on the High Growth scheme with a focus on sourcing UK manufacturing and building event sales. Meetings were usually monthly, face-to-face, from 1-3 hours and with email support. Isla provided meeting notes to support Lynette’s own action plans.
The business support was then delivered through the Growth Accelerator Acess to Finance scheme building the High Street Model business plan with the objective of being investment ready for the appropriate launch time.
Working in partnership
Lynette found Isla to be invaluable as an objective support through decisions around staffing, financing and growth. She commented on Isla’s role in helping her gain clarity and objectivity and found it helpful to be encouraged by Isla to step back from the minutiae of her day-to-day short term operational activities in order to see the bigger picture and make the better decisions.
Isla offered challenging and nudging mentoring to promote innovative thought and action while at the same time being empathic and supportive particularly when Lynette hit large obstacles so she was able to see beyond these and keep on track.
Achievements
Isla’s mentoring and coaching has supported Lynette through a major development programme in an entrepreneurial business, preparing grant funding applications and establishing sustainable income through innovative use of technology while developing the core product.
Isla has worked with Lynette to manage finance challenges, build sales channels, and create an event management department. Priorities were established and time-lined, specific objectives set to support software development, business plans created and reviewed for different stages of business growth.
Lynette has found the mentoring and coaching support important and enabling for her to sustain momentum and motivation in a highly complex technological area, to retain the end vision and objectives and to facilitate ways to drive the development and innovate the scanner use.
Quotes
“Isla has great skill in helping you step outside of ‘the moment’ to look at the bigger picture, helping to prioritise what I really need to be working on to drive the business forward and to help create realistic timescales to achieve the work in which are still challenging but not unrealistic.”
“Isla has been fundamental in helping me manage my business from being a business plan to becoming reality.”
Lynette Morrison – Director TFY Collections Ltd