Denise has been a Growth Hub adviser since the service started.

She has spent most of her working life in the hospitality industry and set up her own consultancy business, Inglewood Hospitality Associates, in 2012. But in her role as a Growth Hub adviser, she deals with all kinds of business.

A lot of themes apply to businesses whatever sector they’re in. For example, issues around sales, customers service, marketing, finance and HR.

“I’ve worked with a photographer, a psychotherapist, a dance school, a wool shop, a publisher, a piano teacher, and a client who was setting up a children’s nursery – as well as with hospitality businesses.

“A lot of themes apply to businesses whatever sector they’re in. For example, issues around sales, customers service, marketing, finance and HR.”

Based in Kendal, she deals with clients throughout the county.

“A lot of small businesses don’t have the right systems and processes in place, or their systems and processes aren’t efficient.

“They just do what they’ve always done and don’t break everything down to see what is effective in terms of the outputs they’re trying to achieve.

“My approach is to understand where they get the money from and follow the sales process. Then drill into all the areas and processes along that route and tie that up against the profit and loss account to see where the gaps are.”