Help to Grow - Meet our business leaders

Paul Quinn

Co-founder of Beyond the Physical

Hi, my name is Paul Quinn, Co-founder of Beyond the Physical and Help to Grow alumni.

At Huddersfield Business School, we have a diverse array of programmes available; all designed to enhance business growth and develop the skills of individuals within the organisation. 

Tailored to cater to the needs of business leaders of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), our Help to Grow Management programme is ideal for those aiming to elevate their business growth, strengthen resilience, and ensure sustained advancement. The comprehensive 12-week programme delves into a spectrum of modules including strategy and innovation, building a brand, efficient operations, winning new markets and internationalisation, and much more.

In this blog, we speak to Help to Grow alumni Paul Quinn Co-founder of Beyond the Physical. Paul completed the programme in 2024 and has since worked to elevate his business through a full rebrand, expanding the team, and implementing new processes.

 

Why did you choose to take part in the Help to Grow programme?

I’ve never had any formal business training, so I thought for the interest of my business and my own personal growth it’d be good to get some formal training. During my research on business courses, I discovered the Help to Grow Management programme and chose it for several key reasons:

  1. Relevant content – The modules perfectly aligned with both my personal and business needs.
  2. Networking opportunities – The programme provides access to a business network of like-minded people. It includes sessions with industry experts and opportunities to learn from other local business leaders that have the same issues, dilemmas, and challenges that we have.
  3. Short-course – The course is 12 weeks, so it was a manageable commitment, and I knew I would get value back from it.
  4. Funding – The programme is heavily funded and reasonably priced so that was an attraction.

Out of the 12 modules, which one do you think was the most beneficial for you and the business?

This is a really difficult question because I took value from every single module. The module 'Developing a marketing strategy', which covered customer segmentation, targeting, and brand positioning, was highly relevant to our current business needs. We were able to implement many actionable insights from this module.

At the end of the programme, we identified our top 3 priorities. For my business those were related to value proposition. We looked at the Bain’s Elements of Value Pyramid. That was a really good model for us to audit against, thinking about how we communicate our value and how it integrates within our marketing.

The digital audit also allowed us to evaluate our user journey from a digital perspective, including people landing on our website, the free trial process, and our CRM system. This audit was really beneficial for our business.

Help to Grow alumni Paul Quinn

Considering your learnings from the programme, have you taken these into the business and improved any ways of working or any processes?

After each module I would call my business partner, Steve, and list things I wanted us to do. Not necessarily new things all the time, but how we could elevate what we currently do in terms of processes. So, we’ve done a lot since I’ve been on the programme.

  • We’ve implemented a new CRM system that’s working really effectively.
  • We’re currently expanding, so we’re keen to ensure we have processes in place that will help us manage this process. We’ve appointed a new business support staff member so that will be really important for us, as admin previously fell to me or Steve.
  • We’re collaborating with a marketing agency on a full rebrand to elevate our brand and products. Until now, Steve and I, as business owners, handled all aspects of marketing, HR, payroll, and more. Now, over the last 12 months we’ve begun delegating some of those responsibilities to the experts. The Help to Grow Management programme has definitely accelerated that.

More than anything, it’s about mindset. Connecting with other businesses and developing that growth mindset around where your business could go. It was reassuring to hear that other businesses face the same challenges as we do. There were businesses that have been around longer than us, younger than us, but we could tap into that knowledge of like-minded people.

Help to Grow cohort 6 Paul Quinn After completing Help to Grow Management at University of Huddersfield, you will join our exclusive alumni community where you have the opportunity to attend our frequent events and network with learners from various cohorts!

 

What would you say to business leaders who are thinking of joining the programme but are worried they don’t have enough time?

The time commitment is a legitimate concern—I was in a similar position. But you need to create that window of opportunity for you to be able to reflect and look at your business. You need to afford yourself that time just to step away and reflect. It’s so important to do that and you have to be disciplined with that. I’ve had to protect my time and block out my diary. So, I’d advise taking the opportunity because the value and reflection time you gain from the programme is so important and will pay itself back.

 

To hear how leaders of small and medium-sized businesses across Calderdale, Kirklees and Huddersfield are achieving results through the Help to Grow Management programme at University of Huddersfield visit: https://www.hud.ac.uk/helptogrow/casestudies/