“ The enthusiasm and energy shown by each and every

“The enthusiasm and
energy shown by each
and every MD/CEO speaks
volumes for the whole
MDHUB concept.”*
The premier peer to peer business growth network
for MDs and Directors.
*Rod Scott, Waer Systems
74% of members
say that the MDHUB
has given them
increased confidence
as a director.
Who are we
and what do we do?
Welcome to the MDHUB
The MDHUB is the premier peer to peer business growth
network for Managing Directors and Senior Board Directors
in the South of England.
Solve your problems, lift the pressure, find ways through
the blocks and grow your business with the support of
the only people who really understand what you are going
through - your own peer group of like-minded entrepreneurial
Managing Directors and Directors.
Our skilled facilitators make sure that the groups are a
confidential, open and honest environment that supports
you and gets you the help you need, whether that is problem
solving or testing new ideas.
We get to know you and your businesses extremely well,
which means we can connect you with the right individuals
or group but also, when needed, specialists from our network
of fantastic advisors.
2
Our Academy backs up your business instinct with a
breadth of management training for you and develops your
less experienced management team to support you.
In 2012 the MDHUB partnered with Knowledge Peers PLC
– an online and off-line service for forward thinking leaders
to explore emerging ideas and challenges. They facilitate
peer to peer learning between directors of businesses and
charities via video-based Case Studies, topical events and
specialised research.
History of the MDHUB
Established in 2002 as the HUB 100 with funding from
SEEDA and Brighton and Hove City Council, the core
membership developed from Brighton and Hove companies.
As the network of members grew across both Sussex
and London, the business was renamed MDHUB in 2009.
Unusually, and in accordance with its Business Plan, the
MDHUB has become a self funding business through our
membership, products and development services.
3
81% of members
value being part of
the MDHUB because
it gives them the
opportunity to meet
other business owners
with similar issues.
The Benefits
er of
ole own nd
s
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th
s
“A
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busines ps
a small
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work o e of
MDHUB
rc
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able
an invalu nd inspiration.”
ka
feedbac
y
Su Hard
UP LTD
C
MOON
You benefit because
Your company benefits because
• You will solve problems that have been holding back your growth.
• You will enrich the development of your strategy through discussion and
debate with your peers.
• You will get fantastic support from your peer group.
• You will find you are not alone, someone has had a similar issue before and
dealt with it - well or badly, and they will share those experiences with you.
• You will be able to benchmark the company’s performance in the market place
against others in real time.
• Your thinking will be challenged in a positive way with practical outcomes.
• You will be able to assess your management style, control and information
against people and companies that you know well and respect.
• You will get that time for strategic thinking you have been promising yourself,
and a ‘board’ of experienced managing directors to bounce ideas off.
• You will understand the impact of economic conditions across different
industry sectors and the implications for your own business.
• You will enjoy helping other managing directors by sharing your experiences.
• You will understand how and why staff perform in different ways in different
companies and use the best ideas for your own company.
• You will hear of business and funding opportunities.
• You will learn the impact of external parties on others, for example how the
banks are behaving or the availability of Government grants and use that
information to develop your business.
4
5
Events Programme 2012/13
MDHUB Opinions
We all have them – test yours against your
peers and outside experts in a lively debate in the
intimate surroundings of a local Sussex venue.
4.30 p.m – 6.30 p.m
Bi monthly
November 2012 – September 2013
November: Made in China… Made better in China
Chinese brands are already supplying to a growing
refined internal market, whilst competing with (and beating)
established global organisations at their own game.
Will this really be the Chinese century?
March: Branded Governments
As governments are running out of money, could brands
step in and help? Imagine semi-branded services, for
example, insurance companies putting traffic wardens on
the street…
May: The CSR Bandwagon
CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility is now the
latest buzzword. Should businesses strive to be socially
responsible, and if so, how? We’ll explore the “doing well by
doing good” business mantra and find out if CSR is being
enforced rather than being voluntarily embraced.
What will it cost?
MDHUB members
FREE
Non-members and
members’ staff
£50 plus VAT per delegate.
Contact us
For further information
or to reserve a place
contact Alex De Santis
on 07889 167800 or email
joinus@mdhub.co.uk
July: Teentrepreneurs
Young people are becoming more empowered due to their
knowledge of online technology – it is also easier to create
and grow an online business with less investment. But how
well are young people supported? And what can we expect
from them in the future?
January: Non-Bank Funding for Britain’s SMEs
As more businesses have no alternative but to explore
non-bank funding to grow, just how robust are the alternative
sources of funding and where can you find them?
September: Pricing mayhem
Responding to the downturn with new pricing strategies:
Special offers, member sales, local discounts etc. We will
look at how companies are using technology to strengthen
their pricing strategies.
6
7
hubacademy
hubmentoring
The MDHUB academy has been designed to directly support our
members’ growth. New entrepreneurs tell us that they need more
breadth of management knowledge to support their business drive,
enthusiasm and often very specific product or service know-how.
More established entrepreneurs need to develop their inexperienced
management teams to support business growth.
MDHUB mentoring provides one-to-one support for our
members from one of our experienced business consultants.
The discussions in the MDHUB Workgroups have already
given us a great insight into your business; we have also
heard the opinions of your peers on your business and your
recent business issues. As such we are ideally placed to
provide more intensive support.
In response we have designed the MDHUB academy programme.
hubacademy sessions
These sessions provide integrated, short and focussed two hour sessions
covering 9 key management areas:
Management Style; Managing People;
Personal Performance; Finance; Operations;
Sales and Marketing; Customers; Strategy and Risk.
The programme will be delivered as 9 two-hour breakfast sessions,
to a consistent peer group over a period of 6 weeks.
Each programme will combine theory with experiential exercises allowing the
groups to understand the concepts and also learn how they might put them
into practice in their own businesses. In our experience, the peer groups formed
continue beyond the programme providing a strong, informal support network.
8
Following further discussion with you to understand your
specific business needs and, importantly, your personal
goals, we will help you to design an action plan incorporating
both, with staged achievement points.
Our business mentor will then meet you on a regular basis to
review progress, challenge your thinking and provide you with
an external perspective on your planning. The mentoring will
be flexible and arranged to suit the pace of the changes you
want to make to your business.
2013
New for ry 2013, we will be
ua
all
From Jan
vents on
full day e
9
g
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If
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te
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ity to learn
n
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rt
o
p
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o
What will it cost?
HUB ACADEMY:
£450.00 plus VAT
per person
HUB MENTORING:
For our 12 month peer
to peer workgroup
programme plus 8 hours
of Mentoring support
the prices range from
£1,500 to £2,000 plus
VAT depending on the
experience of the MD
involved and the trading
history of their business.
Contact us
For full dates and
to reserve a place
contact Fiona Shafer
on 07734 166923 or
fiona@mdhub.co.uk
9
tings
g
ular mee
ke havin
“The reg
is
MDs li
r
.”
e
p
th
ta
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cs o
non-exe
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a te
futurehub
What is it?
A 12 month programme of development for the future
leaders of your business.
Who is this programme for?
You have identified a future successor or new board
director for your business.
Whilst very talented, your proposed successor(s) lacks
some of the core skills and experience that you have
developed to date.
• A programme that will include the following
core areas:
ing
Ben Wild AND WILDING
ON
CAMER
Company Governance — Legal and Companies
Act responsibilities and duties.
Strategy — identifying and implementing the next
phase of growth for the company, review of business
analysis methods.
Finance — budgeting, financial planning, management
and financial accounting, financing options.
Operations — understanding the workflows and key
performance indicators for the company, developing
analysis and reporting tools for those indicators.
You have identified your own and the company’s
strengths and weaknesses and defined what you will have
continued responsibility for and where you will have to
delegate in the future.
Identifying Leadership Styles – the preferred leadership
styles of your future leaders will be analysed and developed
to maximise their impact and success in the business.
What this programme will provide
People Management — effective people management,
delegation, managing peers and superiors and how to
manage stress levels in high pressure situations.
• A consistent peer group to work with on a programme
that will last 12 months, that is designed specifically for
new Directors of fast growing businesses.
10
What will it cost?
£3,000 plus VAT per
delegate (£250 plus
VAT per month) for a
12 month programme
Contact us
The programme is limited
to 8 places; to reserve a
place contact Phil Green
on 07970 193053 or
phil.green@mdhub.co.uk
• Exposure to external specialists —
Business Angels, Bank Managers and Financiers.
11
given
HA has
P
L
A
B
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port and
“H
able sup t my
lu
a
v
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nding ab
understa ot only am I
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yself
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eshwate
Rosie Fr
OGG
LEAPFR
hubalpha
What is it?
A 12 month programme of
development for the fastest growing
companies in the MDHUB.
Who is this
programme for?
You have achieved high growth and
have continuing high growth potential.
You have identified the need for an
ongoing growth strategy or exit plan.
What this programme
will provide
• A consistent peer group to work
with on a programme that will
last 12 months, that is designed
specifically for the needs of fast
growing businesses.
• A programme that will include the
following core areas:
Readiness for growth — what you
need, what you need to change and
what you need to have in place for
the next stage.
Strategy — identifying and
implementing the next phase of
growth for the company, review
business, review growth or exit
options.
Leadership — understanding your
own preferred leadership styles and
what is required for this next phase,
managing growth and the high stress
associated with it.
Business Analysis — identifying the
key areas of your business, whether
to focus on a smaller niche or expand
the product, service or market to
achieve the next level of growth, and
then monitoring the correct indicators.
Finance – understanding what
Business Angels, VCs and other
investors will want to see in your
business, what they will demand
and what you can expect from them.
- how to find your buyer, investor or
potential merger partner.
• Exposure to external specialists —
Venture Capitalists, Business
Angels, Business Brokers and
Merger and Acquisition specialists.
What will it cost?
£3,000 plus VAT per
delegate (£250 plus
VAT per month) for a
12 month programme.
Contact us
The programme is limited
to 8 places; to reserve a
place contact Phil Green
on 07970 193053 or
phil.green@mdhub.co.uk
You need to understand how to
continue the growth, develop your
company and your staff and prepare
for the challenge of shaping the
company for its next phase.
12
13
mdhub
Strategy days
What is it?
(subject to change as required by the circumstances)
A facilitated strategy day for the board and the senior
management team.
Where is it?
Tilton House, a superb Georgian house set in the midst
of the South Downs near Lewes, an oasis of calm and an
opportunity to reflect on and then develop your strategy
for the business.
What do we do?
an
provides
“MDHUB y to focus on
nit
opportu
ffer
and to o
y
g
strate
wledge
and kno feel
support
uly
s. We tr
to other nefit from being
be
siness
that we
local bu
e
th
f
o
part
ity.”
commun
artin
Fiona M
ICITORS
MS SOL
14
An outline of the programme
Provide a mixture of theoretical and practical input to
help you develop your strategy for the business, from
PEST to Porter and Chaos theory to KPIs, we will
stretch your strategic thinking.
Working individually, in pairs or teams to address
important areas of your business model, we take
advantage of the environment, mix thinking, talking
and action and make sure that you leave with the
basic strategic framework for your business.
Objectives
Review
• Where are we now – a diagnostic approach to
the current situation in your business, highlighting
strengths, weaknesses and areas for growth.
• We will explore your personal and
business aspirations.
• Review your values and those of your business.
• Review your financials and how you are
monitoring progress.
Reflect
• We will explore examples of strategic thinking.
• Evaluate the real life examples of various
strategic models.
• Give you some thinking time and opportunities
to challenge your thoughts.
What will it cost?
£2,500 plus VAT for a
full day and team of up
to 8. An extended 2 day
programme with overnight
accommodation is also
available.
Contact us
For full dates and
to reserve a place
contact Fiona Shafer
on 07734 166923 or
fiona@mdhub.co.uk
React
We will help you:
• Set the strategic direction.
• Develop the strategic rules.
• Develop the monitoring process.
• Develop the action plan.
A practical and usable strategy for your business,
with a sensible immediate action plan.
15
1,980 hours were
spent by MDHUB
members developing
themselves and their
businesses with us
last year.
JOIN MDHUB
Free Taster Session
We are very proud of the fact that around 90% of our membership
is through member referral.
If you would like to learn more about the MDHUB, attending
a monthly workgroup will give you a two hour taster of how
it operates.
What we are not is an elitist business club.
What we are is a confidential and supportive network for MDs and
Directors to share their experiences and to grow as individuals.
Following on from either a referral or a call to the MDHUB Team,
one of the Directors of the MDHUB will be in touch directly with you
to have a conversation about what you believe your needs to be and
to discuss how we feel we can help you.
and
thusiasm ach
“The en
e
hown by speaks
energy s
EO
ry MD/C
and eve
hole
for the w
volumes ncept.”
co
MDHUB
tt
Rod Sco TEMS
YS
S
R
WAE
18
One of our key skills is being able to fit you together with the
right people.
By attending, you will meet the MDHUB’s experienced facilitators
who will introduce you to some of the organisation’s members. In just
one session you will develop useful concepts that you can take back,
discuss with your team and implement immediately.
The MDHUB provides local business leaders with the opportunity
to build relationships with a community of like minded people who
are looking to grow, share, learn, collaborate and thrive.
What is a Workgroup?
These are the backbone of the MDHUB.
We do not just send you along to a random work group and hope
that it will work for you. Based on our relationships and knowledge
of our current members we will introduce you to people who we feel
will be supportive and inspiring.
Developed from the academically proven “action learning” sets,
comprising between 4 – 6 MDs/CEOs. They provide a regular
opportunity for peer to peer debate at agenda free sessions.
Identifying strategic issues and opportunities for growth, members
often attend up to two sessions per month, to challenge conventional
thinking, work out practical solutions and to share ideas.
19
What does your membership cover
1. Workgroups – up to 2 workgroups per month.
2. All MDHUB Opinion debates – 6 per year.
unique
MDs
HUB is a
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3. Business Friends – Linking members on a one-to-one basis
with others who understand their business and the business
environment in which they operate.
4. Knowledge Base – This enable members to tap into the MDHUB’s
huge pool of business experience and talk to other members who
have confronted the same or similar issues.
5. Our Annual Future Forward Event in October - with inspirational
speakers and thought leaders.
6. Knowledge Peers - working in partnership with the online content
specialists at Knowledge Peers, you are able to access up to date
video, training and ‘Ask the Expert’ content at the touch of
a button.
Membership Fees
For MDs with less than 3 years’ experience and a business trading
for less than 3 years.
£50.00 per month plus VAT
For each additional Board Member of these businesses
£15.00 per month plus VAT
For MDs with more than 3 years’ experience and a business trading
for more than 3 years.
£75.00 per month plus VAT
For each additional Board Member of these businesses.
£25.00 per month plus VAT
20
London based companies
Payment of Membership Fees
For MDs with less than 3 years’ experience and a business trading
for less than 3 years.
£75.00 per month plus VAT
Either in Full at the start of your membership.
For each additional Board Member of these businesses.
£25.00 per month plus VAT
For MDs with more than 3 years’ experience and a business trading
for more than 3 years.
£125.00 per month plus VAT
We offer existing members a 10% discount at the start of every
membership year for payment in full.
Monthly instalments by Standing Order.
To register your interest please email Gail Boustead at
joinus@mdhub.co.uk or call 01273 311220.
For each additional Board member of these businesses.
£50.00 per month plus VAT
Our MDHUB Academy programme is well attended by both
members and non-members and all of our programmes are
charged at a separate cost to membership.
you
2013
New for n-Execs – connecting to act
No
ple
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ilding on
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.
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with
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21
“I am seeing the accumulated benefits of my interaction
with other members together with the involvement at other
events such as the annual conference. My thinking has been
really stimulated and opportunities to be more engaged and
contributing to the business community are growing.
Thank you all for your help with this. You are making a real
difference in people’s lives, not least my own.”
John Thacker - Clarke Brownscome
“I attended the MDHUB Academy sessions during the
summer of 2012. I found the sessions incredibly useful
offering guidance and expert knowledge in key business
areas which strategically I knew we couldn’t afford to
overlook. The sessions were facilitated by a group of very
talented and professional business experts who were skilful
in the delivery of the essential learning points for each
subject area. Being 2 hours long they were easy enough to
fit into my week and although short, it really was amazing
what we were able to cover. MDHUB have again got it spot
on, identifying the needs of business owners and delivering
solutions that really work.”
Melanie Hickmore – Nice Media
22
23
Our members
15below.com
360 HR
Achieve Intelligence
Action in rural Sussex
Acumen Business Law
Ape Creative
Armstrong Management
Aviatrix
Bailey Solutions
Bite Studio
Brewin Dolphin
Brighton Sheet Metal
Cameron & Wilding
breatheHR
Cheesmur Building Contractors
Clark Brownscombe
Content Consultants
Cube Works
DTC Group
Dv8 Training
Enterprise for Change
Ethical SEO
FDM Group
Forfars Bakers
FTI Ltd
Hillingar
Hot Horse
ICP Search
Igloo Designs
Innovation Stream
KBC Public Relations
Kelta HR
KW Finance Director Services
Leapfrogg
Liquid Light
Make Media
Martin Searle Solicitors
Mind Orchard
Mooncup
Neilson Active Holidays
Oyster Healthcare Publishing
Plastipack Limited
Plus Accounting
PlusFP
PropellerNET
Red Flag Recruitment
rise sales development
ROCC
Salamanza
Semantico
Sheridan Resolutions
Sue Whittle
Sussex Pathways
Tek Express
Tegen
Temple Group
The Good Spa Guide
The Launchpad
The Marketing Eye
The Treatment Rooms
Thomas and Trotman Design
Uniglobe Preferred Travel
Veterinary Insights
Viridian Corporate Finance Ltd
VW Heritage
Waer Systems
Wired Sussex
Wolfstrome Design
Design and photography by
Thomas and Trotman Design.
Printed on 100% recycled paper.
joinus@mdhub.co.uk
01273 311220
www.mdhub.co.uk