Teaching Business
Real-World Business Training That Students Will Remember
You need to deliver business training on topics like governance, strategy, mission, social enterprise, or financial management to your students or staff. But you’re worried these subjects will come across as dry and theoretical. You need someone who can teach the fundamentals while keeping people engaged, regardless of their learning style or experience level.
The problem is finding a practitioner who can actually teach. Most experienced business people can’t engage a classroom, and most trainers lack real-world credibility. Your learners switch off when the content feels academic or irrelevant, and you end up with poor feedback and wasted time.
I bring 35 years of hands-on business experience into the classroom, and I genuinely love bringing these topics to life. I’ve lived what I teach, navigated governance issues, built some strategies that worked and many that failed, managed cash flow through genuinely scary moments, and founded multiple social enterprises. I use real stories from businesses I’ve run and make it tangible. When I’m teaching cashflow, students hear about the moments when I thought I’d run out of money. When we discuss governance, they learn from boards I’ve sat on that got it wrong. This isn’t theory—it’s what actually happens when you’re running a business.
I’ve learned how to engage different learning styles through interactive techniques, role play, group discussion, and practical exercises. I adapt my delivery to keep energy in the room and ensure genuine learning happens, not just information transfer.
Your learners walk away with practical knowledge they can apply, energetically taught by someone who’s done it. You get solid feedback, engaged participants, and the confidence that your training investment is delivering real value.
- Topics I cover include:
- Governance and Board Effectiveness
- Strategic Planning
- Mission and Values
- Social Enterprise
- Financial Management and Cash Flow
- Business Modelling
- Leadership and People Management
- Public Speaking and Presentation Skills
Testimonials
Inspirational and knowledgeable “Working with Colin Crooks was an awe-inspiring experience and an incredible opportunity for a student like myself to learn about social entrepreneurship. I worked with him as a part of the minor New Economic Thinking & Social Entrepreneurship at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam.”
Alec Burger – Student on New Economic Thinking & Social Entrepreneurship
Creative, pragmatic and experienced “Colin brings a pragmatic and engaging approach that means learners from different backgrounds can really access and action the content he delivers. He consistently brings integrity and genuine belief in others as they navigate their way through the complexities of business leadership and management.
Colin has made a significant contribution to both students and SME leaders at London South Bank University (LSBU) through postgraduate delivery and programme facilitation, and alumni programme delivery for the Help to Grow Government subsidised course to promote SME growth. Colin has been a vital part of the delivery team from the inception of the Help to Grow programme at LSBU, and has created and delivered masterclasses in subject areas such as growth with purpose, understanding finance, strategy and planning and business growth forecasting.”
Lyn Hamblin, Associate Dean; Students, College of Society and Professions and Programme Director; Help to Grow Management
Ready to grow with purpose?
Tell me what you need – book a free chat, and we’ll see if I can help