Are you are a leader of an ambitious, growing and established SME who wants to contribute to and share in a group of likeminded people? We are launching the second series of Cog:ent for ambitious business leaders in the Thames Valley on Thursday 25 June. Cog:ent is a free two year programme of quarterly thought leadership workshops, helping ambitious business owners to build successful and sustainable businesses. Interested to find out more? Email stacey.sanders@moorestephens.com

1. www.moorestephens.co.uk PRECISE. PROVEN. PERFORMANCE.
Cog:ent
The Cognisant Entrepreneurs’ Group
Supporting your business growth – An introduction

2. Cog:ent
The Cognisant Entrepreneurs’ Group
Supporting your business growth – An introduction
Who should attend Cog:ent?
The series is aimed at key business decision-
makers and influencers of growing and
ambitious organisations in the Thames
Valley. We are aiming to form a group of
40-50 participants with a willingness to
commit, participate, contribute and learn
over a two year growth timeframe. The
series is suitable for:
• ambitious and growing organisations;
• key decision makers who are willing to
commit, participate and contribute; and
• businesses with turnover more than
£3million and up to £100million.
Cog:ent 2015 – 2017
Over the last two years we have run a
programme of eight thought leadership
workshops for the owners and leaders of
ambitious SMEs in the Thames Valley. The
events are highly interactive and topics
covered within the first series have included
“Building a world class team”, “Standing
out in your market place”, “Financing
growth” and “Planning for a successful
exit”.
Cog:ent is aimed at key decision makers,
such as the Chief Executives and Managing
Directors of ambitious, growing owner-
managed businesses in the Thames Valley.
It is:
• designed to deliver accessible, relevant,
timely and engaging content;
• based upon real world experiences and
learning; and
• focused on delivering practical, tangible
and long-term benefits for participating
businesses.
Combined, we have a proven record of
success for ambitious owner managers and,
given the feedback we have received, we
are pleased with the impact and reputation
that has begun to develop as a result of the
first series.
Our intention is to build on the success of
the last two years with an enhanced and
developed offering over the next two years.
Moore Stephens, in partnership with Telos Partners and HSBC, host
the second series of Cog:ent. Cog:ent is a free two year programme
of quarterly thought leadership workshops, helping ambitious business
owners to build successful and sustainable businesses against the
background of an improving economic climate.
1 Cog:ent – The Cognisant Entrepreneurs’ Group
Interested in signing up? Join us
at our launch event on Thursday
25 June 2015, further information
overleaf.

3. Format and content
The format of the programme will
be developed in collaboration with
participants, to ensure it addresses their
desired outcomes. We propose short and
focused quarterly workshops centred on
a theme.
The first series of Cog:ent provided
accessible and relevant content, based
upon real experience and focused on
delivering practical benefits.
The feedback gathered from participants
and the 2015 Owner Managed Business
survey has given us an indication of likely
themes, including:
• building effective teams;
• creating successful cultures;
• attracting and retaining talent;
• successful growth strategies;
• managing innovation;
• building an international business; and
• succession planning.
We will explore and agree these themes
with the participants at the launch event.
Workshops
Each half day session will provide the
opportunity to focus on each particular
theme and provide an opportunity to:
• hear first hand a relevant entrepreneurial
story;
• receive an overview of the relevant key
considerations for the theme;
• explore with others how to apply the
learning directly to your business context;
and
• commit to a course of appropriate action.
The workshops will include expertise from
external guest speakers, entrepreneurs and a
panel of experts. There will be opportunities
throughout the series for additional
one-on-one support and advice as required.
In addition to these regular events, we
anticipate there will be an opportunity for
participants to host on-site visits to, or
webinars on, their own businesses to profile
their business, and to share experiences
with their peers.
2Cog:ent – The Cognisant Entrepreneurs’ Group
Feedback from previous Cog:ent workshops

4. Features and benefits
From our experience Cog:ent has given business owners a forum to
share and discuss experiences, including any issues they are facing with
peers and experts, and this provides invaluable support.
3. Work on your business, rather than
in it
Quarterly workshops will give businesses a
regular, consistent and planned opportunity
to step back from the business, reflect on
progress and explore options and actions to
support growth.
4. Be an open forum to share
experiences and learn
Sectors/industries may vary, but the
challenges of growing a business are largely
the same. Remember – you are not alone.
5. Partner expertise and knowledge –
theory and practice
Our partners can offer Cog:ent participants
expertise on banking and finance; tax and
accounting; strategic, leadership and
change consultancy.
We have highlighted the features and
benefits of signing up to the Cog:ent
programme below. The programme is
complimentary and our intention is to add
value and support to growing owner
managed businesses in the Thames Valley.
The workshops are designed to:
1. Be outcome focused
The aim is to focus on your growth and
business outcomes rather than our inputs.
2. Support your business growth over
the next two years
The workshops include a supportive group
of peers, a panel of experts and regular
external guest entrepreneurs to give you a
practical approach to the issues and
challenges facing you and your
organisation.
3 Cog:ent – The Cognisant Entrepreneurs’ Group
Interested in joining?
If you are a leader of an ambitious, growing
and established SME who wants to contribute
to and share in a collective exploration of
growth and sustained success then the
Cog:ent workshops are for you.
We will be hosting a launch event on
Thursday 25 2015 June at HSBC, 100 Brook
Drive, Green Park, Reading RG2 6UJ and
would be delighted to see you there. The
event will also give you a chance to:
• find out more about the second series;
• provide your input:
–– what can we include that will help you
to grow your business?
• meet participants from previous event,
as well as other leaders from interested
organisations and businesses; and
• register and sign-up.
These workshops will be held at HSBC’s
seminar facility in Reading.
To register and for information email
Stacey Sanders:
stacey.sanders@moorestephens.com
“I was waiting/dreading “the sale” and was
delighted that it never happened. I usually
avoid these types of sessions because I just do
not want to be sold to. I really appreciated the
way these sessions were done.“
Cog:ent participant

5. 4Cog:ent – The Cognisant Entrepreneurs’ Group
“I thoroughly enjoy the guest speakers who
come and share their stories. You suddenly
realise you are not alone and things feel
simpler and within reach.”
Cog:ent participant

6. 5
Shared experiences
The Cog:ent programme has been developed through collaboration between
Moore Stephens, Telos Partners and HSBC, bringing many years of experience advising
thousands of owner managed businesses in the Thames Valley. The collective strength
of Cog:ent can be found in the combined experiences of the participating businesses,
Moore Stephens, HSBC and Telos Partners. By unlocking the potential of this learning we
hope to create mutual benefit for all those participating and better support the growth of
the Thames Valley region.
Moore Stephens is the UK’s 9th largest
independent accounting and consulting
network. We act for many owner managed
businesses, ranging from longstanding
family businesses, sole traders and
entrepreneurs through to Limited Liability
Partnerships and limited companies. We
offer assistance on the strategic business
decisions they will be required to make at
each stage of their company’s life cycle,
from HR consultancy to succession and
exit strategies.
Telos Partners is a global team of business
professionals united in one purpose – to
create sustainable success for our clients,
our business and ourselves. At Telos we
believe that success for any organisation
can only be sustained when the interests of
all stakeholders are aligned. To create
success that will last we also know that
both the ‘hard’ aspects of the organisation
(systems, processes and structures) and the
‘softer’ aspects (values, attitudes and
behaviours) need to be considered.
Business Banking with HSBC gives you
support from a dedicated Relationship
Manager with knowledge of the local
business environment, expert advice and
bespoke solutions to support every stage of
your business’ lifecycle. HSBC also has global
expertise in 63 countries, to help make
international business easier.
Contact details:
Adam Campbell – Partner
T 07931 370 478
E acampbell@telospartners.com
Paddy Radcliffe – Partner
T 07793 813 756
E pradcliffe@telospartners.com
Contact details:
Josh White – Relationship Director
T 07554 111 322
E josh.white@hsbc.com
Martin Dakin – Head of Business
Origination
T 07920 418 748
E martin.a.dakin@hsbc.com
Contact details:
Ian B Johnson – Partner
T 0118 952 4700
E ian.johnson@moorestephens.com
Daniel Henwood – Associate
T 0118 952 4717
E daniel.henwood@moorestephens.com
Cog:ent – The Cognisant Entrepreneurs’ Group

7. “Running your own business can be quite a
lonely place. Everyone wants a piece of you. So
it’s good to be able to escape, spend time with
likeminded people and think about working on
your business rather than in it.”
Cog:ent participant
6Cog:ent – The Cognisant Entrepreneurs’ Group

8. DPS28101 May 2015