14 May Member case study: Alison MacIntosh, AJM Livestock Solutions
In this member case study, meet one of our Beyond Business Groups members from Wagga Wagga – Alison MacIntosh. These case studies demonstrate how our learning program is helping small business owners, what they see as the biggest benefits, and what they have done to strengthen their businesses.
Meet Alison
Alison MacIntosh joined a Wagga cohort of Beyond Business Groups in 2019. While her business had been ticking away as she wrangled two toddlers, when her eldest had a few days at childcare she decided to get back to working on her business.
AJM Livestock Solutions helps cattle farmers implement electronic livestock data recording systems tailored to individual business needs. They have knowledge of, and access to, the leading systems from NLIS (National Livestock Identification System) tag readers through to hardware such as scales and software packages to manage data helping producers become more efficient and attractive to global markets.
For Alison, Beyond Business Groups was a perfect platform to focus on her business in the limited time she had every week. She enjoyed the company of the group, gave and received lots of ideas and really appreciated the accountability influence.
Why did you join Beyond Business Groups?
I was feeling isolated and at a crossroads in my business; I knew I needed some support. My business suddenly evolved and grew quite quickly and I realised I did not have good systems and practices in place. I was also feeling time poor while juggling small children and business. I knew I needed help to bring structure to my day and my business so I could take advantage of market opportunities.
What was the best thing about Beyond Business Groups?
I loved the open discussions and the accountability between sessions.
What did you enjoy most about the meetings?
Hearing about what others do – I picked up new contacts, new ideas that I would not have considered on my own and also had the courage to put them into practice. Meetings were also regular enough [monthly] that a good level of momentum was maintained between meetings and changes were real.
What did you enjoy most about the content in the modules?
I felt the content was very adaptable to a range of types of businesses, easy to follow and implement and gave a good level of understanding before arriving at the meetings.
As a reader, I really enjoyed all of the articles.
How did BBG help you take your business beyond?
I got some really great ideas and because I wanted to show my appreciation for the group I made sure I followed through on what I was doing. I was also convinced to outsource the tasks and the areas of the business that I am not good at, takes me too much time, or I do not enjoy doing. For me that was social media.
Would you recommend Beyond Business Groups to others?
Absolutely! It was such a great source of motivation and accountability if you really want to make changes. Gives a great structure if you want to get your business processes and direction in more order. Because it goes over 12 months it also creates the habit and discipline to ensure beyond the group you continue working on your business.
Find out more
If you like the sound of Beyond Business Groups you can find out all the details here.
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