Our timeline

We made our first ever film for in partnership with Merton Chamber’s Growth Voucher Scheme to provide businesses The Growth Voucher programme to help small businesses get strategic business advice on:

• finance and cash flow,
• recruiting and developing staff,
• improving leadership and management skills.

To celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week 2016, Business Clan hosted a pop-up business advice centre in partnership with Metro Bank, at their newly opened Wimbledon store. The stand served as a beacon for local entrepreneurs, business owners, and managers seeking expert guidance and support, with several team leads hosting talks and sharing their expertise.

Our initiative started with the introduction of coding clubs, career conversations, and targeted seminars and presentations on various sectors and services, designed to prepare students for what lies ahead after their schooling. Driven by our dedication to educational enrichment, we have made it an annual practice to host work experience students from nearby schools, a commitment we continue to uphold with pride.

Dr Daniela Mo was referred to us by a longstanding client early in 2017. She was looking to set up a Functional Medicine practice in Wimbledon, and although highly experienced as a doctor, she was unsure as to the first steps to take to set up in business.

We helped her to build her branding and create a website for appointment bookings and to become an established practice within the area known the local community!

We were thrilled to win Employer of the Year at the FSB London area awards, which meant that we went through to the National Finals. With 11 categories in all and winners from 12 geographical areas of the UK represented in each, there were hundreds of people gathered to celebrate each others’ success.

Nicolle had been feeling quietly confident in the afternoon as she knew we had put together a strong application, but as Jon started to read out the 12 nominees and some of their achievements her heart started to sink. There was no way we could win against these bigger businesses with their big-name clients and mentions in the national newspapers. Which is why when the winner was called, she jumped out of her seat so quickly.

In March 2020, Diana Sterck, the then, CEO of Merton Chamber of Commerce, contacted our MD at the time and Founder, Delia, to ask her if she would consider becoming a Director of Merton Chamber. Delia was delighted to accept and has been serving since.

We were awarded a grant to host a 3-month long programme, in partnership with the London Business Hub, targeted at SME participants.

We have organised 3 series for the Peer Network Programme to date, bringing together 30 businesses in total. Our focus is creating meaningful behaviour change to influence their business outcomes. Additionally, this has helped them to cultivate an engaged community which encourages them to branch off, supporting one another and building a robust foundation for mutual growth and success.

Our first series prioritised face-to-face interactions, placing a strong emphasis on collaborative group work, however we had to move online, due to the instability of covid measures.

Looking back, it seems that adjusting to life during COVID-19 was a challenge for everyone. The pandemic forced us to think on our feet business-wise, but maintaining personal relationships became that much more difficult. Despite our previous flexibility with remote work, Business Clan was keen to return to the office.

Lockdown and its aftermath were tough times for many companies. Our team’s determination saw us through these challenging times and we feel extremely fortunate and grateful to have come through it.

Held at Old Ruts Rugby Club in Wimbledon, two teams of Directors from local businesses spent the day competing in head-to-head challenges – ‘bushtucker’ style for ‘I’m a Director…’! The event aimed to raise important funds for Raphael’s Hospice after a difficult couple of years.

We ended up raising close to £1000.

We have always made it a priority to actively participate in the community, consistently offering our time, expertise, and resources to assist businesses in enhancing their skills, boosting confidence, and more.

We facilitate meet ups for businesses to share business issues with local MPs such as Stephen Hammond and local Lib Dem Councillor, Paul Kohler, who both came in to discuss local business issues. This approach has improved transparency between businesses and government bodies, thanks to the personal connections established. As a result, we’ve seen businesses sharing their voice with confidence, leading to more informed and effective solutions.

Recognising the importance of embracing sustainability within our commitment to Best Practice, we enrolled in the Good Business Charter (GBC). This accreditation aims to elevate standards in employee welfare, tax practices, environmental stewardship, customer service, and supplier relationships.

Our adoption of the GBC initiated a series of sustainability sessions, held regularly to facilitate continual improvement in all applicable areas. This proactive approach ultimately led us to pursue the CSRA (Corporate Social Responsibility Accreditation).

Throughout the two day show, our team was on hand to discuss businesses’ strategy, accounting, brand and digital marketing and  web design and CRM challenges.

Rohit, Delia and Bernice also delivered a Navigating your Business Success with our Winning Formula seminar on the first day.

We felt it hugely successful and have decided to once again, exhibit in their 50^th anniversary in 2024!