When Lisa Butler left a senior management role to start Oxfordshire-based Adhere Training in 2010, colleagues asked whether she was “sure it was the right time” with more than a little doubt in their voices.
But Lisa saw opportunity rather than danger and, one year on, it’s clear that her optimism was well-founded. Realizing that in challenging times businesses need all the help they can get to boost turnover and profitability, she notes: “Some of our clients have needed help just to continue trading, while others, although profitable, feel they should be making more for the effort they put in.
“All have employed our services because they needed to see an improvement in the bottom line. Improved work-life balance, contented staff and a sense of confidence about the future are happy side effects.”
For Lisa, training isn’t an extra, but an essential for a well-run business. “First, we look at how the turnover of an organisation can be increased and then we look at how more of the money can stay in the business to improve profit.
Improved work-life balance, contented staff and a sense of confidence about the future are happy side effects
Lisa on how training boosts businesses
“The former might be about better sales or marketing skills, to improve margins when negotiating deals or to achieve a higher success rate in pitches. The latter could yield direct cost savings, for example by giving an employee the skills to perform a role that was previously outsourced.
“Another example might be helping a business achieve greater efficiency through improved communication or leadership skills”.
So what makes Adhere Training so different? Lisa highlights the company’s can-do attitude.
“We don’t believe in saying 'no' to our customers, so we offer both bespoke in-house and public courses. We also have an up-to-date network of associates who have complementary offers to our own, including business advisers for subjects that aren’t directly related to training.
“And we are expert in sources of government funding, which many of our clients can access. So whatever our clients need, we can point them in the right direction.”
