Insights

Case studies, fact sheets and interviews offering hints, tips, and inspiration to help your business grow. 

From 7 May 2024, the North East Growth Hub is a project of the North East Combined Authority. We may still refer to "the North East Local Enterprise Partnership" (or "the North East LEP") in some of our older articles. 

How lean management can save your business time and money

Jimmy Forster has more than 30 years’ experience in helping businesses save time and money. He’s now sharing what he knows through NBSL’s Better Business Skills programme, where he runs workshops on risk and change, and lean management techniques.Here, Jimmy explains how these Better Business Skills sessions can help any type of business increase its profits.

Tell us a bit about you and what you teach as part of Better Business Skills.

After more than 30 years in industry, in 2019 I decided I wanted to share what I’ve learnt with others and I now teach courses which are based around saving people time and money in their business.

Basically, my sessions will help you cut waste – including wasted time – and make the way you run your business more efficient. I’ll teach you techniques that will help you make a profit and help you make sure your customers are happy.

What kinds of people attend, and what are the workshops like?

They’re fun and easy to understand. And they really do apply to all businesses: you might be a micro-business, you might be a one-man-band, or you might have a small team. You might teach yoga, or have a business that provides services to large corporations.

Whatever your background, I make sure that the sessions are relevant to you and that you can relate what we’re learning to your own business and the problems you want to solve.

What do you hope people will gain from coming to one of your workshops?

I’d sum it up by saying it’s all about making things ‘easier, better, faster, cheaper’ and giving people the knowledge they need to set a really good foundation for any kind of business.

It’ll get you thinking differently and looking at your business with fresh eyes, which can spot the things that are costing you time and money. And you’ll leave with some ideas about small changes you can make which will have a big impact over time.

NBSL’s fully-funded, online skills programme Better Business Skills is a flexible programme of workshops spanning topics from management to marketing and is open for registrations for its Autumn session funded by North of Tyne Combined Authority.

Would you like to save time and money in your business? Whether you’re the founder of a start-up, a small business owner, or you are preparing to make your idea a reality, find out more about the Better Business Skills course – including Jimmy’s business skills sessions, here.

Find more support for businesses during the cost of living crisis in the Growth Hub's Cost of Living toolkit.