The course, which is a blend of online and in-person learning – as well as one-to-one mentorship, supports senior managers of small and medium-sized businesses to boost their resilience and long-term business goals.

Rene, Paul and Alpesh have all spoken of the benefits of completing the course – which is delivered over a three-month period – and their organisations are all now on the shortlist for the Coventry & Warwickshire Business and Community Awards, presented by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

Solaas Ltd is shortlisted alongside four others in The Global Player category, sponsored by Lawton Tubes, while Harp Place is competing with five others for The Community Champion award, sponsored by Coventry College.

The Herd completes the hat-trick of nominees to have come through the Help To Grow programme as it goes up against five others in The Rapid Riser category, sponsored by Warwickshire County Council.

And, as an added awards link, Coventry University – which is home to Coventry Business School – is in the running for The Planet Saver award, sponsored by North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College.

They will all find out if they have won in their categories at the celebration event hosted at the Belgrade Theatre on Thursday, April 23.

George Akomas, who leads the course for Coventry Business School, said: “We are delighted that the course has been so well received by Rene, Paul and Alpesh and it really is an added bonus that their organisations are now all in the running for a Coventry & Warwickshire Business Community Award.

“The course is designed to fit in around busy managers’ working lives and to deliver practical support that they can implement straight away. The mentorship element means they can bounce their thoughts off someone with experience and also have someone who can help them to keep on track when it would easy to be distracted by the day-to-day running of an organisation.”

He added: “It’s been rewarding to see all kinds of businesses – about 300 of them – come through the programme since we started, and then go on and do amazing things.”

It is the fifth year that Coventry Business School has successfully delivered the programme, and new cohorts will be advertised soon starting in spring 2026.

The value of the course is £7,500 but is 90 per cent funded by UK Government and delivered by the Small Business Charter. Bursaries may be available from the Business School to cover the remaining £750 cost.

Alpesh said: “As the manager of a small business I didn't realise that there are so many other SMEs in a similar position and it was a great opportunity to share experiences.

“So much of what was presented feels like common sense but the challenge is then trying to be able to put that into practice into your own organisation with the continuing stresses of running a business.

“My mentor had a corporate background, so different to mine, but it was great to have that alternative perspective.”

Rene added: “The course was the perfect blend of online and in-person for me and being part of the programme has given me a much better understanding of business, even in a short space of time.

“There is also a little bit confirmation that what you are doing is correct and that some of the processes and policies you have in place are right. As a small business, you can sometimes think that bigger organisations are doing things better, but the course actually showed we’re already getting quite a lot right, which was great.”

Paul said: “The course landed right at a point when we were rebranding and the course really helped us to look at our positioning against the competition, what gave us an edge and what made us unique.

“One part of the course also looked at how we could move into new areas and, it comes full circle, because that’s when we started working with the Chamber on looking to grow overseas, which we’ve done really successfully!”

For more information on the course email [email protected]

For more information on the Business and Community Awards, head to www.cw-chamber.co.uk/awards

Pictured (left to right): Alpesh Mistry, George Akomas, Paul Scanlon, Rene Wheeler