Ian Drinkwater completes 10,000 Small Businesses scheme

Applelec’s managing director Ian Drinkwater recently completed the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses scheme which aims to generate a tailored growth plan for participating companies.

To be selected for the programme, each business had to be scalable and capable of generating additional local employment. Research indicates that there is no better investment than in small businesses to stimulate regional economic growth and this provides the strategic aim of the scheme which helps businesses identified as possessing high growth potential to create a customised and measureable three to five year growth plan.

Ian Drinkwater explains: ‘The course forced me to step away from the day-to-day activities of the business to concentrate on an overarching plan for Applelec’s growth. Sharing knowledge and insight with other businesses in a similar growth phase to Applelec was enormously beneficial.’

Facilitated by Leeds University Business School (LUBS), the course modules cover areas of significance to small businesses including: people and management; marketing and sales; operations; business finance; and, identifies funding streams open to small businesses. The tough application process involved an in-depth business assessment with around 60 companies competing for 25-30 places in the Yorkshire region on the five month course. Based on a successful model that Goldman Sachs currently runs in the US, the LUBS scheme provides mentoring, networking and workshops that are rooted in the local business environment.