• How can I grow and develop my creative business in the teeth of a recession?

• What business strategies should I adopt to survive?

• Should I downsize or try to win increased market share to maintain revenues; focus on generating cash irrespective of profitability; cut costs and hunker down or invest for the future?

• Am I a good enough leader to inspire my staff and create a strong and vibrant company in the long term? Do I have the right staff to help me survive and grow my business?

• Does my business offer better services and products than my competitors and do clients and prospects agree with me or not? Do prospects understand what we do and want to buy our services and if not why not?

• Just how valuable is my business now and what value might it have in the future? What influences the value and what can I do to enhance the value over the long term? What is an exit strategy and why do I need one?

If you’ve asked yourself any of these questions, then these events are for you. Bristol Media has teamed up with our preferred supplier Consultrix to offer members the chance to attend 3 indispensible business seminars (across Feb, March and April this year) that are more relevant in today’s tough economic climate than ever before.

The seminars will follow a theme of Helping owners to survive the recession and yet still build valuable businesses over the long term and are aimed at owners and managers of agencies, TV indies and creative companies of all shapes and sizes.

In summary here’s an overview of what the 3 seminars will cover:

Wednesday 25th February 2009 Seminar 1: Build strategies to survive 2009 and sustainable profits and value over the long term. How to implement a strategic plan that will enable you to survive the recession and achieve your long term vision. Where’s the value of your business now and how to capitalise on it in the future. How to deal with mergers and acquisition opportunities and where to go for funding. How to plan for growth and an exit down the line.

Wednesday 25th March 2009 Seminar 2: Become a great leader who aligns vision, strategy, culture and people to weather the current economic storm and achieve growth and long term success. How do you develop into the type of leader who achieves strategic goals. Do you recognise whether you business has the right culture and attitudes to survive the recession and support growth. How can your employees help you maximise the value of your company. How do you create a culture of creativity and innovation that will delight clients.

Wednesday 22nd April 2009 Seminar 3: Differentiation and marketing in a recession and preparing for an exit. How to recognise what makes your business special and how to use that knowledge to promote and sell your products and services to best effect. How to improve prospecting and conversion rates.

Now you have all this extra knowledge, understand what you should do next. Use the final Q&A session to ask industry experts how they did it! Our extensive panel of owner managers, as well as experienced industry advisors, have survived previous recessions and managed to build, buy and sell creative businesses. Ask what worked for them, what they wished they had done better and how they would tackle the same problems if faced with them once again.

Consultrix, are specialists in improving people, performance and profits and have worked with some of the leading creative entrepreneurs in the South West to enhance the long term capital value of their companies. They specialise in accelerating business growth, building up businesses and maximising capital value as part of an exit strategy.

Each day costs £220 per person and includes lunch. You can book for individual seminars. Places are strictly limited to just 40 people.

Location: All three seminars will take place at the Holland House Hotel in central Bristol between 09.30-17.30.

For more information or to book your place please email caroline@bristolmedia.co.uk