Ummer Daraz set up his civil and structural engineering business, Empace, in 2017. With offices in Yorkshire and London, the business employs a team of seven people, each bringing extensive experience of residential and commercial projects across the UK.
Despite this wealth of experience, there was a knowledge gap when it came to the financial aspect of running a business.
Ummer discovered the Help to Grow: Management Course, which is designed to help business leaders and senior managers increase resilience, innovation, and growth within their organisations. By participating in the 12-week course, the business owner gained the knowledge needed to understand the benefits of marketing his brand and the meaning of financial terminology that would help decision-making in the business.
The course was delivered by the School of Management at the University of Bradford, a recipient of the Small Business Charter accreditation that is awarded to institutions that support small businesses.
Ummer Daraz, managing director at Empace, said: “In my industry, we focus a lot on technical skills and how to create solutions to problems. But as a business owner, apart from income and outgoings, a lot of the financial language used to be like rocket science to me.
“The only exposure I’d had to finances was arithmetic at school so when the business started to pick up, I knew I needed to up my knowledge.
“That’s when I discovered the Help to Grow: Management Course. It helped me to understand about margins, how finance really works, and how I could make small changes to help the business operate more effectively.”
As part of the Help to Grow: Management Course, which is 90% government funded, each participant benefits from peer-to-peer networking and is provided with a dedicated mentor to support their learning.
Ummer added: “As my mentor was an ex-financial director, he was able to explain the techniques to me that have allowed me to take my firm to the next level. I also learned how to take a step back from the day-to-day operations and think more strategically.
“Skills including how to introduce marketing techniques and enhance our digital workflow are now allowing me to think more about the future, train the next generation of talent, and ultimately, grow my business.”
Michael Hayman MBE, Chair of the Small Business Charter, added: “Ummer and the team at Empace show that having the technical skills and talent to start a successful business is often only one part of the story.
“The experts delivering the Help to Grow: Management Course help business leaders like Ummer understand proven management frameworks and tools so that they can then confidently make the decisions they need to grow their business.
“By finding the right support for his business, Ummer has developed a robust understanding of the financial side of owning a business and, as a result, he is growing his team and taking important steps forward.”
Across Yorkshire, 385 SME leaders had finished the Help to Grow: Management Course by February 2023 across business schools at the University of Bradford, University of Hull, University Huddersfield, University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University and Sheffield Hallam University*.
Business leaders can find out more about Help to Grow: Management and sign up for the course in their area by clicking here.
Yorkshire and Humber Business Schools
Yorkshire and Humber business schools that now offer the Help to Grow: Management Course include:
· School of Management, University of Bradford;
· Faculty of Business, Law and Politics, University of Hull;
· Huddersfield Business School, University of Huddersfield;
· Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds;
· Leeds Business School, Leeds Beckett University;
· Sheffield Business School, Sheffield Hallam University.
About Help to Grow: Management
Help to Grow: Management is a 12-week course designed to support business leaders and senior managers to increase resilience, innovation and growth within their organisations.
Delivered by Small Business Charter accredited business schools, the course is available in more than 50 locations across the UK and is 90% government funded. It is designed to fit around existing work and personal commitments, providing business leaders with more than 50 hours of online and in person training including 10 hours of one-to-one mentoring. Individuals completing the course automatically join the Alumni Network, where they have access to exclusive events, content and partner offers, as well as the support of a UK-wide peer network.
The Small Business Charter, which oversees Help to Grow: Management, is an award for the UK’s world-class business schools. The Charter was developed by Lord Young, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Chartered Association of Business Schools to celebrate business schools that play an effective role in supporting the UK’s 5.8m SMEs and their local economies by extension.