Byron G

As a Volunteer Business Mentor, Byron undertakes business mentoring sessions with a variety of business owners who require guidance and feedback regarding the most effective strategies to develop, grow and manage their business.

Mentoring sessions are delivered via Zoom and facilitated by a member of the Queensland Government’s DESBT Mentoring for Growth team. As a mentor, he has provided either a high-level business summary or a more detailed business plan including the owner’s desired goals.

During the Mentoring sessions, as a Mentor his role is to provide feedback, advice, ideas, and recommendations to the business owner based on the documented information provided and also shared during the session.

This feedback is designed to provide the business owner with advice as to how they can best achieve their key business objectives.

He is typically requested to participate in a Mentoring session once a week or fortnight, depending upon the number of businesses requesting assistance.

In addition, as a Mentor, he is also requested to contribute specialist knowledge on key topics via webinars, podcasts and information days run by DEBST throughout Queensland.

As a Mentor, Byron provides ongoing coaching and mentoring support to young business owners throughout a 12-month structured program to assist them to grow and manage their business.

This includes helping them to navigate the numerous phases of business growth and evolution using his personal experience while acting as a ‘sounding board’.

As the Principal Consultant for Learn Central, Byron is responsible for developing and setting the organisation's strategic direction, business model, new client lead generation and acquisition, scoping of potential engagements, proposal writing, contract negotiations, statements of work, project management, and resourcing of additional external contractor skills (and human capital) for the delivery of projects.

He is regularly involved in the Development and Implementation of the following for clients:

Strategic marketing plans and tactics.

Corporate strategic plans.

Business growth strategies and plans.

Annual bu

siness and operational plans.

Budgeting and financial forecasting.

Digital transformation programs.Product commercialisation projects.

Lead and managed a team of 10 Software Developers (onshore and offshore), two customer support staff and a bookkeeper.

Managed ongoing Root Cause Analysis (RCA) programs identifying key issues and blockers across the business and teams then overseeing the implementation of identified resolutions.

Created and implemented Service Level Agreements for various clients and ensured adherence to these standards by the relevant teams.

Managed numerous business and technical projects to ensure solutions were delivered on time and within budget.

Implemented weekly 1-on-1 meetings with staff to track work in progress against targets, assist in identifying then removing blockers, and facilitate ongoing coaching and mentoring.

Developed and implemented a comprehensive Financial Management and Reporting System including an annual Budget Forecasting Process and Revenue Management Model.

Increased the company’s Cash Position by in excess of 300% through a reduction in Debtor Days, Increased Chargeable Hours and tighter Fiscal Controls.

Successfully carried out a number of Business Analysis projects with clients, identifying their key Business Issues or Requirements that he then documented and communicated to the Development Team to ensure the developed solutions met the client’s business needs.

Carried out regular staff Performance Reviews to benchmark actual results against KPIs, resulting in individualised Action Plans designed to ensure KPIs are met, and any identified skill gaps addressed through ongoing coaching, mentoring and specialised training.

Reviewed and updated existing Processes, Policies and Procedures to enhance productivity while undertaking ongoing development of new PPPs as part of a continuous improvement program.

Managed a team of 35+ staff and 10 external contractors.

Created and led a project team that resulted in him successfully negotiating a 3-year contract with TAFE Queensland valued at $3m to train Community Service students on their behalf.

Managed the Community Services and Counselling Faculty, overseeing the development and release of six new courses into the market to provide a 25% increase in company revenue.

Project managed and led the migration of 130 Community Services Units of Competency between Learning Management Systems.

Developed the strategy and implementation project for a subscription-based service enabling students to gain qualifications or professional development via monthly paid access to a library of eLearning courses and assessments which is currently growing at 35% per month.

Managed the Sales and Marketing function increasing average monthly lead volume by 125% and sales conversion rates from 15% to 30%.

Developed and oversaw the implementation of digital marketing strategies to reduce lead acquisition costs by up to 50%.

Implemented a Sales and Marketing Automation System for lead nurturing which reduced lead churn by 35%.

Turned around the Natural Health Faculty from a projected $350K loss to become the most profitable faculty generating up to $4m in annual revenue.

Project managed the streamlining of assessments within numerous key qualifications to reduce costs by 25% and improve student progression by 20%.