Last week saw Brandthing's first forray into training and development. Working with our friends at Angle Technology, we delivered a workshop funded by the EMDA. The full day event gave SME business owners and managers an opportunity to have a close look at their business' branding. Here at Brandthing, we firmly believe that when it comes to brand-led thinking for businesses, there is no big way, no small way, just the right way to go about putting brand values at the heart of a business.  It means we're committed to taking the kind of brand planning tools and structured thinking that are employed by the world's biggest brands and agencies and making them accessible to businesses of all shapes and sizes. Basically, wherever there's an appetite within an owner-managed business to embrace customer insight and harness its power to make a brand and business really stand for something, we relish the opportunity to get our sleeves rolled up and get stuck in. We had a great turn out and the Think Tank venue was the perfect setting.  The nine business owners in attendance agreed that often the day-to-day demands of running a successful company mean that the focus is all about getting things done. So time out to think, reflect and strategise can become something of a luxury.  But indulge in that luxury, we did. . .with plenty of thought provoking results. Looking ahead, we can foresee more similar events, perhaps even some one-to-one coaching with business owners who want to unlock brand growth.  Often in the early stages of a business' development, the owner has to wear many hats, one being that of marketing director/manager.  Certainly last week's event clearly demonstrated the value of having an expert brand and marketing sounding board, even if only for a matter of hours. If you'd like to know more about our services to SMEs, please drop us a line, or give us a call.  We'd love to connect with businesses that feel passionately that strong branding and marketing is a critical step in their business' growth, allowing them to get more customers, keep more customers and sell more to the customers they have.