Citizens Advice Tendring Case Study
Citizens Advice Tendring
Blueprint for Business Journey
Citizens Advice Tendring is an independent charity
based on the east coast of Essex, with offices at
Clacton-on-Sea and Harwich.
It employs 30 staff, has 29
volunteers and is one of the top performing
branches of the entire Citizens Advice network,
which covers England and Wales.
The charity provides free, confidential and impartial
advice and also campaigns on big issues affecting
people’s lives.
Services are delivered to local
people by telephone, email and face-to-face
appointments. Practical advice and guidance are
provided on topics including: poverty, food banks,
benefits calculations, signposting, mental health
and energy saving. There is also a popular charity
shop on the High Street in Clacton.
“I had 3 hours of 1:1 coaching from Sarah, which left me inspired to start a Level 5 Senior Management training course. I found the sessions with Sarah both practical and strategic. The advice was well-suited to our organisation and was easy to implement. I was able to feed back what I had learnt from Sarah to my team. My sessions with Sarah were also the catalyst for me achieving a new qualification, which has benefitted the charity and its clients, as well as me and my staff. I would encourage any organisation to take up the offer of free support on the Blueprint for Business programme."
Citizens Advice Tendring Blueprint for Business Journey
Emma Funnell (pictured above) is Business Support Manager and registered for Blueprint for Business in September 2023. Her goal was find a way to promote the charity’s services (on a small budget) and she chose Sarah Brockwell as her business coach. 1:1 coaching sessions were delivered via ZOOM at a time convenient to Emma.
How Blueprint for Business helped Citizens Advice Tendring
Emma was focussed on growing the charity successfully and strategically without being distracted with smaller operating and staffing issues. Mindful of a limited budget and resources, Sarah developed a tactical plan that would have a positive impact. These included:
• A STAFF SURVEY (to gain insight and galvanise loyalty)
• A referral to ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL’S WORKING WELL programme (for staff upskilling)
• A referral to ESSEX POLICE CYBER SECURITY team (for business continuity education and training)
• Completion of a SWOT ANALYSIS (by Trustees and the Management team)
• Development of FAQs for the website (to reduce the volume of straightforward enquiries)
• Development of a Citizens Advice Bureau Forum (for branches to trade best practice tips)
To provide some tangible ‘takeaway’ outputs, Sarah worked through a MARCOMMS PLAN and a BRAND TREE, which provides legacy content for the charity to use in the future.
How Blueprint for Business can help you
Blueprint for Business is an exciting FREE business growth programme that offers a series of bespoke workshops, webinars and 1:1 coaching, to help you map out your journey to achieving your business goals.
Developed and delivered by a team of award-winning Business Coaches, Blueprint for Business not only provides you with learning opportunities you can tailor to suit your needs, but also access to expert knowledge, and the North Essex entrepreneurial ecosystem to connect and network with. Offered as part of a wider business support programme from Let’s Do Business Group, Blueprint for Business has been developed and is delivered by a team of award-winning Business Coaches. Blueprint for Business not only provides you with learning opportunities you can tailor to suit your needs, but also access to expert knowledge, and the North Essex entrepreneurial ecosystem to connect and network with.
For more information about Blueprint for Business www.backingessexbusiness.co.uk/blueprint-for-business