KLAS Care’s community mission stronger than ever

As someone who has successfully run a social enterprise, Lesley had attended several courses to boost her skills. These courses had focused on women in business and childcare. She had also successfully secured funding to expand KLAS Care with the help of an investment programme.  

Despite the benefits from these courses, Lesley found herself involved in every aspect of the running of KLAS Care, and this was making it difficult to see areas where the business could improve. She felt that there was still an opportunity to learn more, ‘I was looking for a course that covered everything and ultimately, helped me take a step back and become more strategic.’ 

This is when Lesley received a call from the Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, making her aware of the Help to Grow: Management Course. With the 12 modules of the Help to Grow: Management Course matching her requirement for strategic tools, and a growth plan, Lesley enrolled in the course at the University of West Scotland.  

Very quickly she realised that there were many areas of the business that she could approach differently.  

Operations 

Lesley had initially been opposed to restructuring her business, ‘I always thought about a hierarchical structure as a corporate system, and this wasn’t the direction I wanted my business to go. But I reached a point where I realised that our current way of working wasn’t actually helping us because it was impossible to manage two sites, and the 12 staff I had at the time, by myself.’ 

‘The Help to Grow: Management Course showed me the value of a structure, and how it could fit within my business ethos.’ 

The course offered insight into a tool called the fishbone diagram which enables leaders to see where issues occur in projects. For Lesley, this meant plotting and understanding how operations could be more effective if she created leadership positions that enabled day-to-day issues to be tackled quickly and effectively. This enables Lesley to approach the business more strategically. 

New Markets 

One of the more surprisingly valuable modules for Lesley was “Winning New Markets”. Initially, Lesley felt that the module would be too focused on international clients to suit the needs of her community-focused business.  

‘But in actual fact, the information on the New Markets module was amazing. It focused on growth and working with different cultures. It made me realise how I can reach more diverse groups who use our services.’ 

The module and the SWOT framework (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) enabled Lesley to consider gaps in how she reached new people as well as how current marketing activity could be improved.  

Marketing 

Marketing had previously been an area that Lesley was uncomfortable with, the feeling of promoting and selling the business didn’t seem natural to her. The Help to Grow: Management Course helped her better understand the role of marketing, 

This team member is also enrolled in a course with the University of West Scotland to further her skills. ‘I think the change in how we market ourselves has been transformational for the company but also my staff.’ 

Peer Networking

When she joined the course, Lesley was worried about having less business knowledge than her peers, but quickly found that everyone was in the same boat despite the varied industries and company sizes in the room.  

‘I thought it was so good to be able to learn from others while having the structure of a course that takes you through every part of your business. What I really appreciated was how much my peers valued my opinion, and that helped me build my confidence. 

‘I would say that I no longer have imposter syndrome. I also know I can speak to the university and continue to develop. This support and my increased confidence made me feel like I could progress KLAS Care.’ 

One of the most significant changes she has implemented, since completing the course is a new award-winning wellbeing hub. The new hub uses south-facing solar panels and harvests rainwater to flush toilets. This makes it completely self-sustainable.  

The project was recognised at Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce’s ROCCO Awards where the company received an award for its journey to net zero. 

Speaking about the achievement, Lesley felt that the award continued her mission, ‘I didn’t know a huge amount about net zero but what I cared about was trying to keep our fees as low as possible so that parents can go to work. That’s where this journey really started, and it’s been fantastic to be recognised.’

Continuing her mission to cut through the barrier to work, Lesley is pitching to offer training for national companies to address the ongoing issue of women in work being unable to move up the ladder when they have children.

With her new endeavours and refreshed confidence in mind, Lesley attributes the Help to Grow: Management Course for a great deal. ‘It made an incredible difference to get out of constantly working day-to-day and refresh my purpose. It helped me understand how I can empower people in my business, and how I can let go. I would definitely recommend the course, it’s been brilliant.’