Franchise company, The Alternative Board (TAB) is enhancing its support for business leaders across Wakefield in preparation for a prosperous 2025.

TAB is seeing more and more interest, not only for their franchise opportunities across the UK, but also with businesses actively seeking out their peer-to-peer support and business coaching.

With Wakefield’s SME community continuing to thrive, the business advisory franchise has responded to increased demand for leadership support by appointing local man Liam Prendergast as joint franchise owner of TAB Wakefield.

Wakefield district currently has almost 10,000 businesses, 88 per cent of which employ less than 10 people.  Entrepreneurship is incredibly high, but with just 58 per cent of businesses surviving their first three years, demand for TAB’s expertise in ensuring long term commercial success is rising.

TAB has been operating in the Wakefield area for nearly 13 years, with Simon Banks at the helm since 2021. TAB Wakefield is currently working with over 20 local business leaders, delivering its unique peer board sessions alongside 1-1 coaching.  The new partnership will enable Simon and Liam to welcome even more local businesses to TAB, bolstering support for local SMEs as they navigate the challenges and opportunities of 2025.

Excited for 2025, Liam commented: “The coming year holds significant promise for Wakefield businesses, with optimism growing despite economic uncertainties. I am delighted to be working alongside Simon and many hardworking local business owners to bring even greater success to our community.”

East Ardsley, Wakefield based Liam has been a part of the TAB community since 2021, leveraging his passion for operational sales and marketing execution to help businesses thrive. Local members meet as a board once a month to share their leadership experiences.  Facilitated by Liam, they come together to address common business challenges like recruitment, skills retention, staff development, and exit planning. It is a powerful model and one which supports members in both their professional and personal lives, as Liam explains:

“Running a company can be exciting and exhilarating but it is often also quite an isolated role which is why we so often hear the phrase ‘it’s lonely at the top.’ It doesn’t have to be.  At TAB, we give members a vital outlet to share their day-to-day challenges with peers in leadership roles. As a franchisee, I am able to utilise so much of my own business career to support others which is so rewarding, whilst growing and developing my own business.”

Strengthening TAB’s local offer through their new partnership, Liam and Simon plan to expand TAB’s network, launching additional boards and coaching sessions throughout 2025.  The TAB franchise provides a number of additional revenue streams for their franchisees which include DiSC communication sessions for members of staff, a Management Development program called HiMAP, and TAB’s unique StratPro – a programme of strategic business transformation sessions – designed to help leadership teams plan and execute their strategies effectively. 

TAB is the world’s largest franchise company providing peer advisory boards and business coaching for business owners.  Across the UK over 1,500 SME business owners have benefited from TAB.