Our Business Clinic provides a range of support options to SMEs, multi-nationals, start-ups and not for profit organisations in the South-West London.
Whether you’re looking to expand, explore new directions, or bridge a critical skills gap, we are here to support your journey.
With the current wave of change in the economic climate, we understand how there will be a greater need for organisations to rethink their business operations and future planning. Now is the right moment to conduct the ‘what is’, ‘what if we?’, ‘how could we?’ and even ‘should we?’ types of studies and research - to help plan for new business opportunities.
Working closely with our team of academic staff from St Mary’s University Business School, students from both our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, work in consultancy project teams to tackle real problems brought to them by businesses, our clients. Our students can provide innovative and fresh approach solutions to all types of challenges to achieve sustainable business growth.
The business clinic consultancy project is now embedded into a range of programmes across the business school:
- Business Management
- International Business Management
- Digital Strategy
- Entrepreneurship
- Marketing
- Finance
- Marketing and Communication
- Sports Communications and Marketing
- Sports Management.
At St Mary’s University Business School, we are proud to provide a first-rate teaching and learning environment backed by research and scholarship which is central to the school’s ethos, as is delivering practical business solutions to local, national and international businesses. Business Clinic interventions are guided by industry experts, including:
Why wait to unlock your business’s full potential? Start your conversation with us today.
We understand that each request will be very specific to your business needs. In the first instance we ask you to email businessclinic@stmarys.ac.uk outlining your initial ideas. Please do include your business name, website address and a contact telephone number.
Past events
A hackathon is a time-limited event that encourages each team of participants to come up with new ideas and solutions. Brainstorming sessions and ideation exercises take place at the beginning of the event. Team members are encouraged to share their ideas and collaborate to refine a challenge through open communication and teamwork.
Hackathons are known to be a great platform for innovation and problem-solving. However, one of the most significant benefits of hackathons is that they promote collaboration. Collaboration is a key aspect of hackathons, and it is what sets them apart from other events.
At the end of the hackathon, participants present their ideas to the judges. This creates an opportunity for participants to showcase their work and receive feedback. The presentation also encourages collaboration as participants work together to create a compelling and engaging pitch.
An exciting afternoon of brainstorming in collaboration with St Mary’s Business School students to explore ideas and resolve a challenge. Our Business School academics will be on hand to help provide advice and ideas as well as overcome obstacles in achieving goals.
Our events
26th September – How to really understand your audiences: Mark Payton (Keynote Speaker)
- Is there an atypical consumer?
- More informed than ever.
- And more wary than ever - need transparency, have huge expectations.
- But susceptible to partisanship (Trust Project/Ipsos Report examples).
- Why audience analysis works.
- Questions to ask about your own business.
- Can you easily describe your top two or three audience personas?
- Are those personas based on research or supposition?
- Understanding audiences: the cheat’s guide to research.
- Examples of easy-to-use online tools to gain those audience insights.
24th October – The ultimate marketing strategy for your business: Robin J Birn
- understanding profitability in your sector
- planning a customer led strategy
- measuring the success of the strategy
- anticipating future change.
21st November – How to use AI to optimise your social media marketing: Celia Rizothanasi, Queen Bee of LinkedIn
In this practical and interactive workshop Celia Rizothanasi - the Queen Bee of LinkedIn and Marketing AI - is going to reveal her proprietary model, The iA Framework™, and show you how to:
- develop the right AI strategy
- identify smart AI tools
- create your AI playbook.
Our speakers
Mark Payton
Mark Payton is a content and communications consultant with a strong track record in creating successful media brands and improving existing brand communications. Mark was editorial director at Haymarket Media Group for a decade, and is now one of the team at The Trust Project (a global consortium of news organisations dedicated to improving transparency and audience trust in media) and a complaints committee member for the UK's press regulator, IPSO. Mark has also worked on a number of recent product launches in the sport, automotive and travel markets.
Robin J Birn
An experienced marketing, market research and training professional, and author of several books on market research, customer insight and market services. Specialist skills include training, facilitating, and coaching in business strategy, marketing planning campaign planning, and developing propositions using consumer insight.
Robin has worked in the marketing services sector since 1976 consulting and training major global brands and SMEs to develop new skills in marketing and communications and intercultural competence.
Robin is a member of the Marketing Committee of The Archive of Market and Social Research, a Fellow of the Market Research Society, Life Fellow and Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and Freeman of the City of London. Robin is a British/American dual national.
Celia Rizothanasi
Celia Rizothanasi - the Queen Bee of LinkedIn and marketing AI - is a marketing communications strategist and personal branding specialist. Celia's mission is to enable start up founders, small business owners, and fellow marketers to become AI-powered leaders and accelerate their marketing results.