Conversations with ourselves can be useful; some of the best ideas start within the confines of one single-minded mind.

You come up with an idea, layer another on it, rush to make notes before you forget the third, and then wake the next day with a realisation of how all three hang together and join up.

Brilliant!

But then what?

Our Breakthrough workshop helps new and young businesses expose great ideas to rigorous scrutiny. Matthew Gajdus runs Manta Power, a business which helps people with an Electric Vehicle (EV) by installing chargepoints in the home or at work.

He says:

… starting up on your own is tough, and not having anyone to share thoughts and strategies with wasn’t helping me progress. From being on the  Breakthrough workshop, the help and support was invaluable and fuelled the motivation to move things forward.

Using The Business Model Canvas

It’s about a lot more than a supportive atmosphere and good vibes though (important as those things are). One of the elements of the Breakthrough workshop Matt found most useful was the Business Model Canvas and, specifically, how it helped him to form a much better understanding of his business.

The Business Model Canvas is a contemporary modelling tool which Breakthrough helps start-ups to apply to their own working; Unlocking Potential has guided more than 1,000 small businesses through the process which, as a result, is honed to perfection. Specifically, and in very simple terms (there’s more detail about this here), it asks a series of questions whose answers help a business to develop, such as:

– Are you changing as quickly as your customers?

– What can customers expect from you, and what are you best at?

– Who and where are your customers?

– What could you be doing better and where are your weaknesses?

– Does your business model, in the light of all this, need to be refreshed or adapted?

Take the leap and expect some road bumps

What the process helped Matt realise is that although any new business will face obstacles in its early days, these don’t necessarily mean that the business proposition itself isn’t promising. Being part of Breakthrough crystallised his thinking and encouraged him to:

… Take the leap and start trading, keep focused on my plan and strategy and be confident that it will work. Understand that there will be road bumps along the way but that based on my research this is a service that is needed.

Like all businesses joining Breakthrough, Matt was assigned a Business Development Manager (BDM). His was Olivia Keech-Harris.

Olivia says:

We have been working through what success looks like for [Matt], potential business models and marketing strategy [and] starting to investigate how he can use technology to grow his business and create extra revenue opportunities. But he has now secured an external grant and will be live imminently. Manta Power has real potential.

Olivia’s input is a useful snapshot of the benefits which can flow from Breakthrough. She’s a friendly, experienced, dedicated expert; she knows the obstacles which await any new business, but also ways round them, sources of support (and what a potential success looks like).

Matt’s experience of this kind of help means he’s unequivocally a fan of Breakthrough’s methods and outcomes:

I would recommend the programme to others, even if you are only at an early stage. I think its tools and advice will really help shape your own journey and give you everything you need to develop your idea.”

If you think your early-stage business could benefit from what Breakthrough’s got to offer, why not get involved. Our next Breakthrough workshops begin this September, online or in person.