Connect Yorkshire has launched the Connect Gazelles Leeds group to provide ambitious entrepreneurs and fast growing SMEs across the region with a range of exclusive services to help achieve further success including top level mentoring and support from many of Yorkshire’s and the UK’s leading entrepreneurs.
 
The membership organisation is for growing companies with a turnover between £250K and multi-million pound organisations; over 20 top business achievers have committed to the Connect Gazelles group as Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs) including Jonathan Turner previously of Bayford Oil, Larry Gould of thebigword, Deidre Bounds who started up i to I, and turned it into the world’s biggest gap year company and Sean Riddell of EMIS plc the Aim Listed provider of software to the healthcare sector.
 
Connect Yorkshire’s chief executive Nick Butler: “This is an exclusive concept aimed at assisting fast track companies grow and achieve further success by helping solving key issues in their path to rapid growth and providing direct access to leading entrepreneurs who will share their extensive expertise, experiences and insights, act as mentors and host special business events.
 
“The response has been phenomenal - there is clearly a need for a meaningful support group at this level to provide significant and relevant help for aspiring entrepreneurs.”
 
The launch event was attended by over 70 high performing companies and held at the LNT Group in Garforth, Leeds.  Founded by Batley-born Lawrence Tomlinson, he raised £500K in the early 1990s at the age of 23 to launch his first care home and over twenty years has developed it into a £500million empire employing 1500 people across its five diverse businesses - Ideal Care Homes, LNT Construction, Ginetta Cars, LNT Software and LNT Solutions. Lawrence: “Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely place particularly in the early days; to have access to the level of entrepreneurs that Connect Gazelles have on board and to be able to share business ideas with like-minded people in a similar position is invaluable and will give people a fast track to reach their goals.  If the Gazelles had been around twenty years ago I could have grown even quicker.
 
“I was delighted to be able to offer the LNT headquarters as a location for the Gazelles to hold their meeting.  Encouraging and mentoring successful entrepreneurs of the future is the key to a positive future for industry and commerce in the UK, supporting manufacturing, promoting local growth and developing innovation.”
 
Membership of Connect Gazelles includes Masterclasses mainly delivered by the Entrepreneurs in Residence, networking opportunities, up to 10 hours free mentoring by the EIRs, Gazelle boards – monthly board meetings with other non-competitive Gazelles to share best practice, a Springboard module where a panel of EIRs will listen to the major strategic issues a Gazelle member is facing and offer advice, plus a range of discounted professional services.  There is also the opportunity to create business contacts and mentoring and networking opportunities through social media including a closed LinkedIn site. 
 
Connect Yorkshire’s chairman Richard Doyle: “Growing businesses need help more than ever in the current climate but also need to keep an eye on costs. Whilst the economy is very challenging there is always success to be had for those who have the desire, foresight and sheer determination to get ahead.  The Gazelles is a superb low cost initiative that will truly help ambitious businesses prosper with advice and support from some of the region’s top entrepreneurs”
 
The Leeds group is the second Connect Gazelles to be launched and follows on the heels of the Sheffield City Region group which was launched in September and supported by many high profile South Yorkshire entrepreneurs including top businesswoman Julie A Kenny CBE DL, chairman and chief executive of awarding winning Pyronix Ltd, Chris Rea OBE managing director of AESSEAL and Hugh Facey founder and chairman of engineering organisation Gripple, holder of the Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development.
 
Information on the Gazelles membership can be found at www.connectgazelles.co.uk.

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