NCS HR

I’m Nicola Smith, a Chartered MCIPD HR Consultant and Director of NCS HR Solutions Ltd. I specialise in supporting small businesses, charities, and growing organisations across the UK with tailored HR advice, compliance, and people management solutions. My focus is on helping leaders create compliant, inclusive, and high-performing workplaces and be an extension of their team.

What do you do?

I provide outsourced HR consultancy, helping business owners and managers navigate everything from day-to-day employee relations to complex workplace investigations and strategic people planning. My services include policy development, management training, recruitment support, workplace mediation, and HR software implementation. I work closely with clients to ensure compliance with UK employment law while creating a positive workplace culture.

What problem do you solve?

Many business owners feel overwhelmed by people challenges—whether it’s underperformance, workplace conflict, recruitment struggles, or staying compliant with ever-changing employment legislation. I take away the stress and uncertainty by providing clear, practical, and legally sound HR solutions. The result? Clients gain confidence in their people management decisions, reduce risk, and create an environment where employees can thrive.

What’s the process of working with you?

Initial conversation – We’ll discuss your business, challenges, and goals.HR health check or review – I assess your current policies, processes, and risk areas.Tailored solutions – I create clear, practical recommendations and action plans.Implementation & training – I work with you and your managers to put solutions into place.Ongoing support – I’m on hand as your HR partner to guide you through any issues that arise.

What can members ask you inside The Help Bench®

How do I manage underperformance or capability issues fairly?What policies do I need to comply with current UK employment law?How do I handle a grievance or disciplinary process correctly?What’s the best way to support neurodiverse employees?How do I create an inclusive and positive workplace culture?

Webadoodle

I’m Zena, a website designer who creates custom websites for small service-based businesses. I work mainly with sole traders and startups who want a professional, easy-to-manage website that builds trust and attracts clients. I make it straightforward for even the smallest business to have a professional presence online.

Zena's story

What do you do?

I design and build websites that look good, work properly, are strategically designed to attract ideal clients and are simple for business owners to run themselves. Most of my work is creating custom multi-page sites, but I also offer one-page websites for startups, as well as Wix redesigns, additions and audits. With over twenty years’ experience of building websites and running a small business myself, I know what works, what’s needed and what isn’t. My focus is always on creating professional, trustworthy websites that do the job without being overcomplicated or overpriced.

What problem do you solve?

Many of my clients are just starting out and feel daunted by the idea of getting a website. Some don’t know where to begin, while others have tried the DIY route and found it frustrating or overwhelming. It’s easy to overthink and get lost down a rabbit hole. I take away that stress with a simple, transparent process that makes getting a website feel easy. Most clients tell me they breathe a sigh of relief after our first chat. By the end, they say two things: “I finally feel professional” and “Working with Zena is so straightforward and transparent.”

What’s the process of working with you?

1. We start with a friendly, jargon-free chat about your business and what you need from your website.2. I put together a clear proposal and fixed-price quote.3. I give you an easy-to follow bespoke checklist to get your materials together.4. I design and build your new site in a week. Or refresh your existing one in a day.5. Once your site is live, you'll be able to update it yourself, but I’m always on hand if you need me.

What can members ask you inside The Help Bench®?

What should every small business website include?My website isn’t quite right — how can I fix it?What are the most important things to get right on a website?How do I go about choosing a designer?How can I get more enquiries through my website?

Blitz Sales Solutions

Alastair Ruston, Blitz Sales Solutions I run Blitz Sales Solutions, helping companies without a sales team bring in new business. I handle the full sales process — from finding leads through to winning customers. Most of my clients are small to medium sized firms who want sales handled so they can focus on running their company

Alastair's story

What do you do?

My role is to step in as the sales function for companies that don’t have one. I bring experience in generating leads, building relationships, and turning conversations into new customers. The services I provide cover the whole sales process — strategy, outreach, follow-up and closing. This means owners don’t have to worry about sales, it’s taken care of from start to finish.

What problem do you solve?

Most of my clients struggle because sales isn’t their area of expertise. They’re great at delivering their product or service, but they don’t know where to start with finding and converting customers. On top of that, time is tight and sales ends up being inconsistent or ignored. I solve this by putting a clear sales process in place and running it for them, which gives them steady growth and the confidence that sales is under control.

What’s the process of working with you?

• Initial conversation – Understand your goals, target market, and capacity, then agree simple targets.
• Sales check & plan – Review your current approach, define ideal customers, and create a clear action plan.
• Setup – Build prospect lists, create scripts, and put the right tools and tracking in place.
• Execution – Run outreach, follow up consistently, and move opportunities through the pipeline.
• Review & refine – Share results, adjust the approach, and keep the momentum going.

What can members ask you inside The Help Bench®?

What to say when reaching out to someone new
How to follow up in a way that feels natural, not salesy
The simplest sales process to put in place from day one
How to make sure you don’t forget to follow up with people who showed interest
How do I talk about my business in a way that makes people want to know more?

Relton Digital Marketing

We Believe in Creating and Delivering Digital Marketing Success. We are digital marketing strategists and implementation specialists who know which marketing channels will work best for your business. We then drive ‘quality’ traffic to websites and measure the success, holding ourselves accountable for the results. We will only work with you if we feel we’ll achieve success, hence why we back this up with only one full month’s notice and no long contracts.

What do you do?

We offer Digital Strategy and are then able to implement parts of that strategy. We work with partners to deliver aspects that do not fall into our specialisms. We deliver a wide range of marketing, here’s some of them: Digital Strategy, Content Strategy, SEO Strategy/Audits, Competitor Analysis, Google Ads & Shopping, Google Tracking, Google My Business profiles, SEO, Influencer marketing, Social Media Ads, AI, and Digital Training

What problem do you solve?

We provide strategy that clarifies focus and direction with the end result delivering success. Our Strategies take in to account budget, timeline and resources required to achieve success. We are extremely results driven, only taking on clients we believe we can help succeed.

What’s the process of working with you?

Strategy & Planning - carry our research and provide evidence-based data to back up recommendationsPreparation – set the foundations and update resources where neededImplementation – implement plan and relevant digital marketing channelsMeasure Success – report on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), refine and improve the results

What can members ask you inside The Help Bench®?

You can ask us anything. All questions are good questions, especially if you need answers. We get asked all sorts of questions but are often asked the following questions:I know I should be doing more digital marketing, but I don’t know where to start?I am doing some marketing, but I don’t know if it’s working?What’s the best marketing channel for me right now?What budget do I need?Is it worth me doing any digital marketing, is it a waste of money?

The Personal Development People Ltd

I’m Mark Stanton, a leadership mentor and facilitator with three decades of experience leading in high-pressure environments. I now help leaders and teams build emotional awareness, resilience, and practical skills that deliver results. My work supports organisations who want leadership to be both a business advantage and a human strength.

Mark's story

What do you do?

I work with businesses to develop leaders who inspire trust, make better decisions, and create high-performing teams. Using tools like DiSC profiling, emotional intelligence, and proven leadership models, I design practical workshops and programmes that fit the client’s culture. My sessions are conversational, grounded in real-world experience, and focused on changes people can apply immediately.

What problem do you solve?

Many leaders feel they’re firefighting, struggling to connect with their teams, or unsure how to adapt their style to get the best from people. This often leads to low engagement, missed opportunities, and wasted effort. I help them see themselves and their teams more clearly, build confidence in their leadership, and create cultures where people perform at their best.

What’s the process of working with you?

• Initial conversation - Understand your goals, challenges, and context.
• Assessment - Use profiling or diagnostics to get a clear picture of where you are now.
• Tailored plan - Design workshops, mentoring, or programmes to meet your needs.
• Delivery - Facilitate sessions that are engaging, challenging, and practical.
• Follow-up - Review outcomes, measure impact, and plan next steps.

What can members ask you inside The Help Bench®?

How to handle difficult conversations without damaging relationships.
How to adapt your leadership style to get the best from different personalities.
How to manage energy and avoid burnout in leadership.
How to create a culture of trust and psychological safety.
How to develop future leaders in your team.

Simple Story Marketing

Simple Story Marketing helps small business owners get clear, consistent, and confident with their marketing. We work with owner-managed businesses who are tired of wasting time and money on things that don’t work. We transform your marketing chaos into clarity and bring your customers into the story your brand is telling.

Andy's story

What do you do?

We help small business owners create a clear brand message, primarily using the StoryBrand framework, so customers instantly understand what they do and why it matters. From there, we turn that message into written and/or filmed content you can use everywhere; your website, blog posts, social media, emails, and anywhere you talk about your business. The result? Marketing that’s consistent, confident, and actually works.

What problem do you solve?

Most business owners feel lost in marketing. There’s too many channels, not enough time, and nothing seems to work. We simplify it, show you what matters, and help you market with confidence (and without the overwhelm). You’ll get regular, customer-centric content that will resonate with your ideal customers.

What’s the process of working with you?

1. Start with clarity. We get your messaging right so customers instantly understand what you do and why it matters.
2. Create your plan. A simple, affordable strategy that fits your business and your life.
3. Build consistency. We help you create content and marketing systems you can stick to (or we do it for you).
4. Grow with confidence. Ongoing support to refine, adapt, and scale at your pace.

What can members ask you inside The Help Bench®?

How do I explain what I do so customers actually get it?
Which marketing channels are worth my time, and which can I ignore?
How do I turn my website into something that brings leads, not just looks nice?
What content should I be creating to win trust and attract clients?
How do I market consistently without it taking over my life?

Evolve Together

Claire supports SME’s in generating more brand awareness, leads, and sales with simple marketing strategies that will make their business stand out from the crowd.

Claire's story

What do you do?

If you're tired of marketing that feels like shouting into the void, you've found your person!
With over 23 years experience in sales and marketing I'm the marketing strategist who gets genuinely excited about your business goals and even more excited about smashing them.I can help with;
Creating and implementing a marketing strategy that works
Refreshing your brand
Updating your website or even creating a new one
Create videos, professional photos, social media, email campaigns, content creation, PR the list goes on…When you think of marketing – think of me!

What problem do you solve?

Focus on the transformation or outcome.Are you feeling overwhelmed with what and how you should be promoting yourself? Not sure which social platforms to be on, don’t understand how to create blogs or emails. Don’t stress I can help.
With a wealth of experience I can help with any of your marketing worries – we will work on them together.5 STAR REVIEW “Claire stepped in at a crucial time when our in-house marketing person left, leaving us without any marketing support during one of our busiest periods. From day one, she brought incredible energy, seamlessly integrating into our team and ensuring that our marketing efforts didn’t miss a beat.Her expertise, proactive approach, and ability to adapt quickly made what could have been a stressful transition feel effortless. We’re incredibly grateful for her support and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone in need of help with their marketing.” - Phil - COO - Aqueduct Marina.

What problem do you solve?

This is exactly my plan – free 30 min call - tailored quote – implementation – follow up

What can members ask you inside The Help Bench®?

How should I use social media?
How do create good emails?
My design skills are rubbish help!
I have no idea how to create a website can you help?
How do I sell more of my products/services?

BWP Inspire

Hi, I’m Steve Price and I help business owners to build a business that gives them the lifestyle they want. Whilst I am an accountant, and the numbers play a big role in my approach, I am also a business owner and have faced and still face the challenges of the people I work with. That empathy of being able to put myself in the shoes of the people I work with and then putting that into practice with my clients, is what differentiates me from other accountants. I’ve been doing this for a years, and I’ve been able to make an impact with hundreds of businesses.

Steve's story

What do you do?

The services I provide fall into two categories. Firstly, the must do’s, keeping HMRC and Companies House happy. Accounts, Tax, Payroll etc, my team and I can support you with it all. Then there is the should do’s. This is what most business owners don’t do. But if they did, they would have a leg up on their competition, because you will have greater clarity. And they would have a business that delivers more to them personally.
We help businesses plan and we help them to grow – profitably and sustainably. We also provide Management Accounts, Budgets and Forecasts, KPI reporting to help businesses owners stay accountable to their goals.

What problem do you solve?

Have you ever heard the phrase “working in the business rather than on the business”? This is the main challenge I help to overcome. You become the owner of the business, the strategic thinker, and can take yourself out of the day to day operations.
This is usually the first step towards a business owner achieving ‘freedom’ within their own business. Our methodology helps them achieve money, time and mind freedom.

What’s the process of working with you?

1. Discovery call – we get all the background information on you and the business.
2. Roadmap meeting – we discuss what you are looking to achieve in the short, medium and long term and how we can best support you moving forwards.
3. Proposal Agreement – we will present you with proposal options and agree together on the one to move forwards with.
4. We start the journey – we get access to your financial data, you get access to us and we start the journey of working towards the short, medium and long term goals discussed in step 2.
5. You are assigned a dedicated client manager and will work with you along your journey to ensure you start achieving your goals.

What can members ask you inside The Help Bench®?

How do I understand what the numbers in my business are actually telling me?
I never seem to have cash available, why is that?
I don’t understand what taxes I have to pay and when I have to pay them
Am I actually making a profit?
My accounts seem like a chore, how do I make them simple?

BM Technologies

I’m James, and I am one of the co-owners of BM Technologies. My background is largely operations within large organisations, overseeing large budgets and staffing numbers. We started BM Technologies to disrupt the IT industry and offer a customer-focused IT and security base so that business owners can focus on running their businesses.

James' story

What do you do?

Think of us as an outsourced IT department without the overhead of hiring people. With over 30 years of experience in the sector and over 2000 users depending on our team, we have the skills and expertise to support all sizes of business with their IT and Cybersecurity needs, throughout the whole of the UK.

What problem do you solve?

People come to us because they don’t know where to start with IT, emails, and keeping data secure. They come to us for peace of mind and a pressure-support service. We provide advice and guidance and build your backends ready for scale, so all you need to do is focus on running the business. We don’t offer paywall security; you don’t pay more because you need cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is the basis for us.

What’s the process of working with you?

1: Book a free assessment or initial conversation with us
2: Discuss your plans for IT/Security and how we can support that
3: Send a no-obligation quote
4: Once accepted, we onboard you ASAP to ensure you're protected and backed up from the get-go.

What can members ask you inside The Help Bench®?

Basic IT setups
Cybersecurity basics
How to buy a domain name
How to set up emails or get an office number
What laptops should you invest in