Employee training and mentoring are crucial for SME growth. 

68% of employees prefer to learn at work, with 90% of employees saying they won't quit their role if they receive training. 

76% of UK businesses say mentoring has been vital for growth, 60% note a boost in strategy, and 66% improve survival chances. 

Combining bespoke training with tailored mentoring delivers essential upskilling and the supported application for long-term sustained growth.

Here are some of the common hurdles I've helped leaders like you overcome.

➡️The daunting task of keeping up with digital advancements and AI integration
➡️The constant battle to generate new, consistent, qualified leads
➡️A pressing need to empower and upskill your team, especially in the realms of digital and AI marketing
➡️Striving to get sales and marketing aligned
➡️The isolation in decision-making roles, craving for support and guidance
➡️Increasing difficulties in recruiting and retaining top talent 

I'm Emma Ellse (BA (Hons.), PgDip IDM, PgDip DigM, PgDip HE, ILM7, FIDM, FCIM, FHEA, FABM

⭐️Deep-rooted marketing expertise from senior roles across B2B and B2C sectors since 2003
⭐️Trusted, Experienced and Qualified Consultant, Coach, and Mentor since 2015
⭐️Trained over 1100 SME Business Leaders and their teams
⭐️Qualified HE Academic Practitioner & Senior Consultant Business Lecturer

Here's how we can work together:

1. Book a 15-minute Call
For business leaders looking to upskill their teams or education /  business support hubs looking for training for their clients. Book in a chat let's get the ball rolling on your bespoke programme. 

2. Work with me privately 
To work with me directly on AI, marketing and growth strategies send me a message with the title 'Private'  and a little more info about your business and I'll send you some details. 

3. Talk to me about peer facilitation
Does your business support SME leaders? I run engaging peer to peer support circles where peer learning is collaborative, fun and value driven. 

4. Need an engaging speaker for your event? 
Everyone wants to know how AI can help them become more engaging. My talks are fun  engaging, informative amd loaded with value and takeaways. 

Hear from those who have worked alongside me. Scroll Down👇🏻

Emma Ellse

Today's Glimmer moment. 

Sometimes all you need for a reset is an early morning beach dog walk. 

Up and out at 6:30am this morning to catch the peace, tranquility and morning light. 

With so much going on in the world it's good to pause, breathe and make time each day for a glimmer. 

#Glimmer #Peace #MentalHealth #Reset

AI Training for SMEs | Founder, AI Business Growth Academy | AI Adoption & Business Resilience Trainer & Mentor. Workshops, leadership sessions and strategic mentoring for SMEs navigating AI-driven change and uncertainty

5:30am train, coffee in hand, bleary eyes, headed to Liverpool.

Today I’m delivering AI Leadership training to partners and senior leaders at a large law firm. 

My train journey is mostly deer spotting and thinking about the most important message I'll share today. 

AI adoption is not about the latest tools or shiny tech.

It’s a change management process.

The firms that get this right aren’t the ones chasing every shiny new tool…

They’re the ones building the right foundations:

I call it The AI Foundational 4 Ps: 

• People: mindset, skills, and confidence to actually use AI

• Processes: where AI fits into real workflows (not just experiments)

• Platform: choosing the right tools for your business, not just what’s trending

• Policy: governance, risk, and responsible use (especially critical in legal)

Today instead of focusing on “what tool should we use?” we'll work though; 

"How do we embed this into how we already work?"
 
"How do we identify the bottlenecks in our operations work out what's appropriate for AI and then embed AI where it will have the biggest impact?"

"How do we lead our teams through this change and grow more efficiently?"

#AI #AITraining #AILeadership #Leaders #AIAdoption

There are some rooms you walk into and you just know something special is happening.

Today in Liverpool was one of those days.

I've had the pleasure of delivering Day 1 of a bespoke AI Adoption programme created specifically for the partners and senior leaders at MSB, on behalf of MyPD. 

What stood out for me today wasn’t just the strategy…

It was the people.

Genuinely warm. Welcoming. Engaged. And most importantly truly supportive of each other.

As is always my way, we didn’t just sit and “learn AI.”

We talked, shared, listened and challenged ideas because AI adoption isn’t about jumping straight into tools. It’s about taking the time to step back first.

We focused on:

*Leading AI adoption responsibly and ethically
*Putting safety first, especially with teams already experimenting
*Taking a strategic approach before any tech decisions
*Identifying the right tasks to optimise before choosing tools
*Bringing people with you on the journey, not leaving them behind

I left the day feeling really energised (even after a 4:30am alarm) and already looking forward to Day 2. 

Thanks for a great day MSB I can’t wait to come back, hear your progress and build on what we’ve started.

#AI #AIleadership #AIAdoption #AIStrategy #AITraining

No AI Today!! 

Today I'm flying solo, no AI to assist me in this little (massive) DIY job.  

Suns out, drills out, tunes on .. garden makeover is a go go 😎🪛🔨

What’s the main AI platform you’re using right now?

I use ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot, each have different strengths and I use them for different jobs.

Until recently though, my go-to all-rounder for running my business was ChatGPT.

But I’m now shifting more of my workflows to Claude (especially for integrations + automation potential).

The Claude outage on Monday was a timely reminder for me to also revisit my contingency planning. 

If you’ve got business-critical workflows running on one LLM, you need a contingency plan for when it goes down.

Before you roll AI across your business, sort the boring stuff:

Who owns the workflow (and who fixes it when it breaks)?

What’s the fallback (second model, manual process, or “good enough” template)?

What’s your minimum service level (what must keep running no matter what)?

Do you have a back up plan for when your favourite AI tool has a wobble?

#AI #AIGovernance #SME #Productivity

If you were a biscuit what biscuits would you be? 

Me? apparently, according to my two lovely teens, I'd be a Jammy Dodger 😂💖

Yesterday was spent mostly eating this amazing cheese cake they made me. 

AI can't make cheesecake (day 2 of my 'No AI weekend') 

#Family #Cake #NoAIDay

I am on the lookout for new roles and projects from interim executive positions, fractional roles or longer-term board work. My experience is extremely varied........

My career has been defined by lessons learnt in communication clarity, working with my own teams, as well as with leaders, boards, and business owners. From my first board appointment at 23 to founding the Association of Business Mentors, I have focused on mentoring as a lever for growth, leadership resilience, and financial understanding, all with the aim of contributing to long-term success.

I have owned seven businesses and successfully exited three, providing me with firsthand experience of the pressures and opportunities facing entrepreneurs and executives. That entrepreneurial grounding led me to found the Association of Business Mentors in 2011, now the UK’s only professional body dedicated to raising standards and supporting mentors nationwide. My work has been recognised with the People’s Mentoring Champion UK award and an invitation to Buckingham Palace for services to mentoring.

As a columnist for Elite Business Online and host of the “Gamechanger: The Impact of Mentoring” podcast, I share practical insights with a wide audience. I have advised and delivered internationally on mentoring schemes in Portugal, Brunei and Russia as well as in the UK. My focus remains consistent: to support teams, leaders and boards in gaining clarity, enhancing decision-making, embedding happy, productive cultures.

Key skills and areas of expertise:

●	Public speaking, inspirational talks
●	Board advisory, governance, regulatory, and financial oversight
●	Executive and business mentoring
●	Entrepreneurial strategy and business growth
●	International mentoring programme design
●	Leadership development and connectivity

Mentoring, for me, is not an add-on. It is a strategic tool that shapes stronger leadership, clearer governance, and more resilient organisations. I now bring this experience into Non-Executive Director, Advisory, and Fractional CXO roles where expertise and commercial focus are needed most.

How we communicate is directly linked to the bottom line because, when carried out well —and sadly underestimated —with the right dose of experience, empathy, and foresight, it leads to engaged, happy, productive teams.

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Emma Ellse

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The Battle

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