What is your local group for?
One of the sessions I was involved in at the SBSC Symposium at Microsoft TVP was with Bill Wells and Sarah Hughes. The subject for it was ‘Working with your local small business infrastructure’ and Bill and I were selected because the Devon & Cornwall Group and the Kent Group have both been involved with local RDAs and government agencies working towards improving the way IT and small business specialists are perceived.
Part of Sarah’s role within Microsoft is to help outline regional best practices in private and public sector organisations that have done outstanding work to encourage the uptake of IT by SMEs in their region. Sarah is currently working towards submitting to the government a set of recommendations about how they can improve the regional ICT support services they offer working private sector IT companies. As moderator for the session, she introduced it with a few facts and figures to give us a better idea of the landscape.
The Devon & Cornwall Group has formed a great alliance and the programmes they are working on together are really starting to build momentum. As a group they are approaching the local business community in conjunction with local Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and individual members are using the group as a bigger force which they may otherwise be unable to achieve.
Bill’s ability to see an opportunity and help nurture great ideas has allowed him to use his skills and vision to work with other members who can dovetail their abilities and experience to help build a group that serves a purpose and give a real return on the time and effort they invest.
The D&C Group also have also achieved other benefits for their members such as professional legal support and brand recognition for the group. Working together in partnership has provided additional benefits for the businesses involved and this is key to ensure long-term success.
In a similar way, the Kent SBS Group formed from a few ‘friendly’ businesses back in 2005 and is now part of the e-Kent Partnership which aims to develop the understanding and benefits of IT in the region. Working with SEEDA, Kent County Council, Business Link Kent, Medway Council, and the Federation of Small Business (FSB). The Partnership involves our Group because they know that helping local businesses view IT positively is in our interests. Part of our role is to deliver the workshops and our reach into the community (i.e. marketing) is re-inforced and supported by organisations that local businesses look to for help.
So what else do the groups do? Together we can create a bigger/ louder voice to change the views of larger organisations such as Microsoft, HP, Toshiba, Symantec, and channel distribution partners such as Westcoast.
Back in February last year, I spoke about Partners being like Top Trump cards; where I don’t have the technical capabilities of some of the others, I can use the things I am good at (no comment!) to help contribute and build a melting pot of potential.
I know that partners are trying to find ways to work with other groups and organisations and sometimes, the support of RDAs isn’t always there immediately. Gaining credibility with those who can open doors and establishing a positive reputation as a provider of IT services can sometimes be tricky but I would suggest that if you aren’t sure where to start you should pick the brains of those around you who you feel can offer you advice or a foot up.
Work with those who can help you and slipstream on the efforts of those who are already trying to make a difference such as Sarah at Microsoft. One of the reasons the Kent Group approached SEEDA and Kent County Council was because we felt that multiple projects were working in the same direction within the region but not necessarily working together.
We now have 19 groups in the UK and Irish community (with maybe a few more on the way!) and a whole bucket full of potential. The guys at the Symposium joked that I don’t have an ‘off switch’ but I love to enthuse about what we do because there’s so much more we can achieve. When Bill (Wells not Gates) was talking about the group he belongs to, the guys from the Kent Group were making notes to bring back to ours. I love seeing others get bitten by the ‘bug’ and I like to harness the potential the community holds.
At the end of the day, anything we can achieve as a group and/or community will be done because we can’t do it alone. Increase the impact with less overheads - a winning combination backed by some big names; namely the Small Business Specialist community.
If your group has a story about what you have done in your region then I’m sure Sarah would like to hear from you. In addition, shout about it within the community or use the comments space below. 