In addition, Tony has consistently championed meeting the learning and skills needs of small firms and driving up the quality of small business support in the UK. He received an OBE for services to small firms and training in 2001. He has developed the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative (SFEDI) from 1995, acting as Chief Executive for four years prior to his current appointment as Chairman in 1999. SFEDI is the government recognised standards setting and endorsement body for learning and skills development for prospective and existing entrepreneurs and for personnel that provide business support to them.

Tony has written a number of business books on marketing, human resource management and consultancy and is in constant demand as a business writer, facilitator, chairman and speaker at client events, seminars, workshops and conferences. The most famous, best selling manual written to date is the ‘Essential Guide to Earning a Living from Independent Consultancy, Interim Management and Freelance Professionalism’, soon to be available on CD as ‘The Rat Race Escape Kit’. The most recent book by Tony’s alter ego, Leonora Soculitherz is ‘Buzzing with the Entrepreneurs’. Leonora’s blog is also available at www.entrepreneursuk.com Tony is employed by many organisations to improve their communications with their small business customers, engage with and develops appropriate training for prospective and existing entrepreneurs.

Tony’s initial management career, after post graduate HR qualification was in people management and industrial relations with NCR Limited, from where he moved to become Managing Director of a £35m direct selling company. In 1986, with two co-directors, one of whom, Clare Francis is co-owner; he founded BAB, The Business Advisory Bureau Limited.