BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
"We make funky folding bikes," says Brompton MD Will Butler-Adams in a video produced by the Department for Business to promote its new ‘Business is great’ campaign. (Shipyard workers in Portsmouth may not think the Coalition Government is so great at business).
Butler-Adams was one of the business leaders wheeled out at a launch for the new campaign, held this morning in the British Library. Cutting the virtual ribbon was Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The ‘business is great’ campaign is a "partnership between private enterprise and Government to highlight support for businesses aspiring to succeed and to encourage entrepreneurial spirit."
Brompton is one of the businesses highlighted on the campaign website, greatbusiness.gov.uk
“When I started at Brompton there was no long term planning,” said Butler-Adams.
“We were charging around like headless chickens, trying to sort this and that out but we were going round and round in circles. We needed to get our head out of the mire and think about where we wanted to go. We didn’t even have a meeting room!”
The London company with a brimming order book now has regular monthly meetings, away days, and teams visit other businesses, the sort of thing the Government’s new campaign is trying to encourage.
Brompton is a regular user of the Manufacturing Advisory Service to assist with the implementation of lean manufacturing and also relies on support from UKTI. Brompton has also had support from Growth Accelerator.
“There are lots of people dying to help British businesses,” said Butler-Adams.
“In our early days we didn’t use this but now we have got good at getting help. And it all started by recognising that we couldn’t just carry on by sorting out tomorrow’s problems but looking up and deciding on where we were going as a company.”
At the British Library launch a huge photograph of Butler-Adams’ head loomed over the business secretary.
_
