At a point when leaders are working harder than ever to find and fulfil business amid supply chain and staffing challenges, taking time away from the office can seem impossible.

It’s a situation that Dave Shepherd of Cumbria’s Express Plumbing Supplies (EPS) found himself in.

A sales and marketing director for the business, which has five branches across the county, the pandemic had provided no shortage of additional work, for better or for worse.

Dave explains: “Sales have been phenomenal on both the retail and trade side, thanks to the boom in home improvement during the lockdowns. But there have also been time-consuming challenges in sourcing the stock we need due to general chaos at the ports, as well as Brexit and the Suez Canal blockage. At the same time, the pandemic has meant staff shortages are worse than they have ever been.

“I had so many ideas for how to use the surge in business as a springboard to improvement, but I barely had a chance to give them a fleeting consideration before something more urgent landed.”

Translating business strategy into practical action plans

Dave felt that he needed time to focus, and so, on the recommendation of a previous delegate, he joined the Cumbria Forum from Lancaster University Management School (LUMS).

On the fully-funded business support programme, delegates learn the latest models and theory in themes including business resilience, innovation and leadership, from world-class LUMS academics and business experts.

The core programme includes two sessions per month, interspersed with facilitated peer-learning groups, where delegates apply the theory they’ve learned through action plans.

Dave says: “I discovered that many of my fellow Cumbria Forum delegates, had, like me, come with problems to solve, or ideas to explore that they just could not find the time for amongst the day-to-day demands of leading a business.

“Although taking time out may seem to add to the pressure, it gave me the space I needed to think and plan.

“During the sessions, we explored business strategy, like using the Business Model Canvas to set out a business plan, and developed our customer value proposition.

“The session on developing our value proposition particularly stood out for me. It helped me to understand that our customers choose Express Plumbing Supplies for our service and product knowledge. It doesn’t always come down to price.”

Re-evaluating his role within the company

The Cumbria Forum gave Dave the clarity he needed to make his plans a reality. He says: “One of the main things I took from the sessions was that the ideas I had were strong but that for one reason or another I had never implemented them. Taking part in the Forum focussed my mind on what I was going to actually do.

“The programme helped me to refocus how I spend my time. In fact, I’ve now re-evaluated and repositioned my role within the company: taking on more of a project management role so that I could concentrate on planning, prioritising and delivering the change we need.

“It’s amazing, now, to look at all the improvements we’ve been able to make at EPS, thanks to the Cumbria Forum.

“For example, I’m leading the re-invention of bathroom showrooms at our branches, which before now, have predominantly served trade customers. It means that in future we will be able to more easily tap into a whole new retail customer base without opening new branches.

“We also have screens on our trade counters which provide how-to videos and product and industry information for customers.

“Behind the scenes, we finally got to grips with our stock inventory, categorising the 56,000 items that we sell. This will make stock management and pricing control much easier, and save hours of staff time.”

Places are still available on the next Cumbria Forum: Business Model Innovation programme, which starts on 16 November 2021. The programme consists of 3 half-day online sessions.

The programme is fully-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for Cumbrian SMEs with fewer than 250 full-time equivalent employees and an annual turnover of less than €50m.

To enrol, or to find out more, contact Ewan Pullan at cumbriaforum@lancaster.ac.uk.