Last Thursday 2nd May saw the return of the increasingly popular free Business Growth Seminar hosted by local accountancy firm Harding Lewis, in partnership with the Academy for Growth.

The seminar, which took place in the Sanderson Suite of The Claremont Hotel, attracted over 50 delegates from a variety of sectors throughout the Isle of Man including a number of small to medium sized firms eager to acquire a working knowledge of the Island’s particular marketplace.  Delegates enjoyed a presentation by well-known marketing expert Steve Hackney on the topic “The secret to increasing your prices…No matter what product or service you sell” while  copies of Why Businesses Stop Growing and What You Can Do About It, which was co-authored by Mr Hackney and Harding Lewis’ Managing Director, Andrew Gerrard, were also available to purchase.  All proceeds were donated to the Isle of Man Agricultural Benevolent Trust to benefit the Island’s farming community.

Aimed predominantly at business owners, Mr Hackney opened with the question: “What is the single biggest factor that will determine the wealth you get out of your business?”  He then went on to give a list of the most common mistakes made by businesses when it comes to pricing in particular.  Mr Hackney then provided a series of instructions using case studies as examples of how to correct common mistakes.

Continuing to talk about pricing and people’s preconceptions, Mr Hackney finished with his parting words of wisdom: “When you buy on price, you can never be sure. It’s unwise to pay too much but it’s worse to pay too little.”  The presentation was then brought to a close with a description of The Business Growth System; a sophisticated piece of online software aimed at growing businesses and which is available free to all Harding Lewis clients. The evening closed with a prize draw to win a magnum of champagne.

Managing Director, Andrew Gerrard, commented on the evening’s success: “As a flourishing centre for business excellence and a hot spot for new business and entrepreneurs, it is vital that the business leaders of the Isle of Man work together to achieve the best for their clients and for our business community.  Events such as this are the perfect opportunity to meet and exchange ideas as well as gain market insight into a number of areas that one may otherwise not have such casual access to. I would like to thank Mr Hackney and all those who attended for making the day such a great success and look forward to our next opportunity to present to such an innovative marketplace.”
 
Photo - Pictured left to right are Richard Brewin (Academy For Growth UK), Andrew Gerrard (Harding Lewis), Steve Hackney (Academy For Growth UK), Michael Estella (Harding Lewis), Peter Finlay (Academy For Growth UK) and Debra Cooper (Harding Lewis).