Making Micros Matter
Want to start or have recently started a business?
Need to understand and resolve the challenges, want some guidance; “Talk with” – an experienced entrepreneur.
Want to grow your business?
Need to review your business planning, preparing for funding; “Talk with” – an experienced business practitioner
Need a sounding board?
Share what’s on your mind, clarify your thinking, want a business buddy; “Talk with” – an experienced business mentor.
You can talk confidently to the CMB advisers who have over 700 entrepreneurs under their belt and a broad knowledge of business sectors.
Our aim is to: Inspire, Empower, Support and Connect Businesses
West Kent Partnership
CMB is continuing the highly successful business support programme in collaboration with and funded by the three West Kent Local Authorities under the West Kent Partnership banner.
FREE Business Support to West Kent
We offer FREE 1 to 1 advice to small local businesses who are residents of the West Kent local authorities of Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells or Sevenoaks to help them grow and develop. This service has proven ideal for pre-start, early start and scale-up especially the Home Based business sector. Over several hundred businesses have found this an invaluable service.
Begin registration by clicking the button below and completing the booking form for a telephone call back. Numbers are limited for this programme and if you book we will put resources in place to help you, please ensure attendance, if you are unable to make the appointment you must let us know as soon as possible.
If no booking times are shown as available – call 0300 030 9660 and we will do our best to fit you in.
What we offer
The current COVID-19 situation may appear daunting but now may be the time to prepare a new business for the future.
We have helped hundreds of business people facing a huge variety of issues, both business and personal. Our support and guidance covers most business issues from personal performance, business concepts through to marketing and business admin.
We are supported by a number of local authorities (in West Kent) and can offer FREE support if your business is in these areas.
Where we can assemble a small group we can deliver a bespoke 10 hour package in the form of a micro business school.
COVID-19 – In order to comply with the current government advice all our services are delivered either by telephone, Skype or Zoom.
Please contact us for details.
Home Working
When working from home there are a myriad of issues that could benefit from a helping hand. From feeling isolated or from the simple to the serious; from technical, computer, communications, to sales and marketing; websites, building the sales pitch, producing a video for the web, branding, marketing and writing good copy.
Pre-Start
These sessions are specifically designed for those contemplating self-employment through the setting up of their own business. The focus is on the individual which is where the energy is drawn from. We don’t build businesses, we set out to build people and then support those people in building a business.
Start-Up
These sessions are valuable for those who have recently established their own business and need support. We help review your ideas and ambitions hopefully providing answers for aspects you are unsure of. Again, we don’t build businesses, we set out to strengthen people and then guide them in maintaining a business.
Going for Growth
Where you have gone beyond the startup phase of a business, there comes a point with many of us where we perhaps falter and would benefit from someone looking over our shoulder and challenging our thinking. Who better than successful entrepreneurs to provide mentoring..
Meet the team
Roger House
CMB Director; Sales; Marketing; Design; Strategy; Mentor
Roger has a degree in three dimensional design and has been in business for over 40 years, encompassing architectural design, manufacturing and sales, operating a farm park and owner of a London based agency focussing on marketing, advertising, public relations and business development.
He has worked successfully with many businesses both large and small with responsibility for £millions of budget. He has played a key role in building several successful multi-million pound companies winning European awards on the way.
He is CEO and founder of The Centre for Micro Business®.
Roger is a Kent Ambassador and a former Regional Chairman and southeast Policy Chairman of The Federation of Small Businesses. He has extensive experience across a broad range of business sectors, consulting and managing sales and marketing, design for print, exhibition work, web design and public relations/journalism.
He has written regularly for local press on business issues. He brings a practical approach to delivering a wealth of solutions for the benefit of the centre’s clients. He is a Fellow of the IoEE.
He has been a Kent Ambassador and a local parish councillor for several years and is Sevenoaks Area Chair and County Vice-Chairman of the Kent Association of Local Councils. Roger is a trustee of The Archbishops Palace Trust, Otford.
Roger Gabriel
CMB Director; Tourism; Leisure; Retail; IT; Mentor
Roger has Master degrees in Education and Technology and has spent many years working in secondary, tertiary, adult and higher education, and working at a high level in local government – plus finding time to run his own businesses, he has now decided to try and pass on some of this knowledge he has gained along the way to help new businesses start,
grow and create more customers.
Roger has worked at highest level in strategic thinking for Kent County Council and the Kent Economic Board. He has also managed multi million pound re-developments of new teaching centres in Dover, Canterbury and Folkestone. He has also broadcast with the BBC Radio Kent.
When not working Roger can be found gardening, brewing and sailing his yacht, and helping others to learn the art of seamanship.
What our customers say about us
Roger Gabriel has given me and my business the highest level of support over the past few months. This has been so important during the start up of a new business, which can often be uncertain and lonely. His guidance and encouragement have been invaluable, not to mention the creation of the website for my business, completely free of charge.
His experience, expertise, skill and knowledge have been paramount in enabling me to develop my product and business with confidence and determination. I am immensely appreciative of receiving this business support all totally free of charge and I hope this service carries on being available for other small, startup businesses, enabling them to grow and flourish.
I met with Roger Gabriel on numerous occasions for business advice, support and development. Not only is he friendly, approachable and easy to get on with, but doubtless has saved me hours of time and research in setting up my business .
Thank you so much for all your help, time and patience!
Sheba Riches
The support I’ve received from Roger is absolutely priceless and I’m sure I’ll be using it for years.
I started my own company a few months ago, having never run a company before, and what I knew about business you could have written on the back of a stamp. Roger gave me the essential grounding I needed to think about how to build a company, what I needed to do to make it a success and put me on the path to profitability.
I can’t thank Roger enough. His support has been well beyond anything I could have imagined. I would recommend his services to anyone starting a business or looking to grow their company.
Peter Wallace
Owner
I had started up my coaching consultancy about a year before enrolling on the West Kent Business Support Program. I found that I had been struggling with the business development side and decided that I needed some help in learning those skills.
The support I received was entirely free and so useful to me! I had access to 12 hours of one to one tuition, and the content was completely tailored to my needs. We went through a comprehensive model that covered all the areas that I needed to think about, and we spent our time focusing on the steps that were relevant to me and my business at this time.
My main takeaway was a shift in mindset around how to speak about what I do and how to present myself. This was very helpful in determining what I am selling and who I am targeting with my marketing, and it has transformed my selling technique.
Thank you for all your help! I have already recommended this program to many people around me and will continue to do so.
Ingrid Pope
MD
Getting in touch
At CMB we offers several routes to connectivity with business advisors, mentors and the various courses and workshops.
BY PHONE
Call us on 0300 030 9660, if prompted please leave a message, which will immediately forwarded to our duty mentor who will get back to you as quickly as possible.
BY TEXT
You can text direct to 0300 030 9660, and we will respond as soon as possible. Also when you have established a relationship with one of our advisers you may be given a direct mobile number when you may either phone or text.
ON LINE
Please click the box and complete the form – one of our advisers will be in touch.
Registered Office: Owl Cottage, Wootton Lane, Wootton, Canterbury, Kent. CT4 6RT