“October Insights: Strategy, Certainty & Self-Improvement” 

“As autumn arrives, now is a great time to sharpen your business strategy and build resilience for the year ahead.”
Introduction: 

As the autumn leaves begin to fall, now is a great time to reflect on what’s working, what needs fine-tuning, and how you can finish the year with intention not just activity.

This month’s newsletter is all about sharpening your business strategy, enhancing operational resilience, and investing in smarter skills for your team. 
 

Growth Strategy Corner

Revitalise Your Roadmap

The final quarter is here a golden opportunity to realign your strategy and prepare your business to close the year strong.

Let’s look at three areas where we can make a real impact before December:

Assess Your Progress & Refine Your Goals

Have you hit the milestones you set at the start of the year? If not, what shifted and why? Together, we can reframe your objectives to make them practical, measurable, and still meaningful for Q4.

Tighten Workflows to Boost Output

This is the time to work smarter, not harder. We’ll identify process bottlenecks, eliminate unnecessary steps, and fine-tune your daily operations to free up time and energy for what really matters.

? Strengthen Team Morale with Clear Direction

People perform better when they know the plan. We’ll clarify team goals, re-energise communication, and make sure everyone feels connected to the mission as we push through to year-end.

Ready to finish strong and enter 2026 with momentum?

[Schedule a free 30-minute strategy session]

Networking: Connect & Grow

Whilst there are plenty networking events and opportunities out there this month the one that is the one to be seen at is……………

• International Men’s Day - 19th NOVEMBER (check out EventBrite
  
  Want a personal intro to someone in my network? I’d be happy to connect the dots.

  ?? Just reply to this email and let’s talk.
   

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e-Learning Highlight: Upskill on Your Own Terms

When time is tight, flexibility matters.

Tutor-Led, Engaging Courses: Designed to keep your team focused and involved

Certificates: Downloadable proof of completion for compliance and confidence
Flexible Options: Choose single courses or integrate a full Learning Management System for your organisation

From health & safety to leadership, customer service to mental health and business, there’s a course for every need.

Need help choosing the right courses for your team?

Explore eLearning with Applaud BC

Standards Insight: ISO 9001 - Quality Is the October Harvest

As we head into the year’s final stretch, now is the perfect time to improve quality, reduce waste, and boost team ownership, all through a proven framework: ISO 9001.

Here’s what implementing or improving your quality system can do for you:

Raise Customer Satisfaction: Happy customers are loyal customers. ISO 9001 helps build consistency into every delivery, which increases trust and retention.

Reduce Costs Through Fewer Mistakes: Quality systems help you catch issues before they become expensive. Less rework = more profit.

Build Accountability Across the Team: Structured systems help everyone understand what success looks like resulting in stronger ownership and better teamwork.

Whether you're starting fresh or optimising a current system, I can guide you every step of the way.
[Let’s Talk About ISO 9001]

ISO 22301: Prepare for Anything - Business Continuity

What Would Happen to Your Business if You Couldn’t Trade Tomorrow?

We’ve all seen the headlines lately, big brands like M&S and Land Rover brought to a standstill by major disruptions.

But here’s the truth: this isn’t just about cyberattacks.

Businesses of all sizes face risks every day:

• Power outages

• Supply chain breakdowns

• Extreme weather events

• IT failures

• Even losing access to a key building or system
  
  And it doesn’t matter whether you’re a global enterprise or a one man band start-up, the impact of being unable to trade can be immediate and severe:

• Revenue grinds to a halt

• Customers lose trust

• Your reputation takes a hit

  Why a Business Continuity Plan Is Essential

A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) isn’t about imagining worst-case scenarios for fun. It’s about building resilience so that when the unexpected happens, your business can keep moving forward.

Companies with robust BCPs in place don’t just survive disruptions, they recover faster and often come back stronger.

The Key Question

If your business faced a sudden shutdown tomorrow, would you have a plan ready? Or would you be left scrambling to figure it out on the spot?

Now is the time to take a serious look at your business continuity strategy — before you find yourself in the headlines.

Let’s Chat

Quick Tip: Quarterly Business Health Check

Before the year wraps up, take a moment to pause and ask:

Are our systems helping, or holding us back?

Is our team aligned with our most important goals?
What quick fixes could improve efficiency before December?

Need help identifying blind spots? Let’s do a quick audit together.