Peter Wheeler is the export manager for EthOss Regeneration Ltd, who design and distribute a synthetic biomaterial used in dental surgery. Peter enrolled on the Small Business Leadership Programme in 2020. 

How long has your business been going? 

We’ve been on the market since 2015 and we’ve been growing very quickly. We currently sell to more than 50 countries. We’ve even managed to grow throughout the pandemic — as soon as dental practices were allowed to open they have been busy placing implants and using EthOss around the world. 

Why did you choose to join the Small Business Leadership Programme?  

The outline of the course really appealed to me. Many of the topics covered in the programme are areas that I wanted to develop my skills in.  

The timing was also helpful — I usually travel a lot with work, but the lockdown meant I was at home and able to commit to the programme. And the government support to make it free of charge made it very attractive to get signed off internally. 

What have been the overall benefits of the programme for you? 

Personally, it's given me more confidence. I feel that if I was to be offered a director role or asked to branch out into other areas of the business, I’d be better at it as a result of completing this programme. 

Which parts of the programme did you find most helpful? 

The module about leadership was really useful, as were the more pragmatic elements around financial management and organisational efficiency. 

But the highlight for me was working with other businesses. The people in my peer group were from completely different sectors but as SMEs we share the same issues and problems, so it was easy to relate to each other. 

My company is focused on quite a niche area so it was great being exposed to people from different industries — it meant we all had different perspectives and could learn from each other. 

Have you made any changes as a result of the programme? 

Yes — we’ve made changes to the company and developed ways of doing things more efficiently. For example, I developed a new appraisal system for the company. The programme taught me how to structure appraisals and how to help the staff being appraised speak their mind freely and contribute to the process. 

One of the keywords of the programme is resilience, and it’s definitely made us look at what we can do strategically to make ourselves more resilient as a company. It’s also helped us look at our internal processes to see where we can streamline things.  

What would you say to a business owner considering taking part in the programme? 

It’s definitely worth it. The staff at Sheffield Hallam have been very easy to work with. And with the programme being run over Zoom it was very time-efficient, as I wasn’t travelling back and forth to Sheffield. 

What are your plans for the future of the business? 

We’re continuing to grow. We’ve just moved to a bigger office, we’re recruiting more staff and we’re registering for new markets including China and the US. The future is bright!