enterprise, business growth, impact analysis

Testimonials

�I have known David for many years. Throughout that time he has shown himself to be one of the most knowledgeable, creative and insightful individuals in the challenges facing entrepreneurs.�

Professor Tom Cannon
CEO Ideopolis International

Testimonials

�Janette is a wonderfully sensitive coach who blends, with great skill, her therapist training with a sound approach to developing performance in a modern corporate environment. Her compassion is palpable and her professionalism without question.�

David Cliff MD
Gedanken Ltd

Testimonials

Janette is a great listener and shows real empathy as a coach. She helped me to articulate and clarify my goal and identify the steps I needed to put in place to achieve that goal.

Sue Timson
Sue Timson Consultancy Ltd

Testimonials

"Janette has a real warmth and empathy that immediately makes you feel important. Through intelligent questioning and active listening she coaches you to move towards the solution that works for you."

Tony Swainston
Coach and Director of ECM Connections Ltd

Our Philosophy

Human psychology drives enterprising and business behaviour.

Our Mission
To provide organisations and individuals seeking to promote enterprising attitudes and behaviours with the tools and services necessary to develop winning mindsets either for themselves or their client groups.

Our products and services are part of an integrated enterprise and business development process.

Our Expertise
Venture to Think's experience and expertise can be captured under three headings.

Human Psychology
Enterprise & Entrepreneurship
Profiling & Coaching Tools

About Dr David Johnson

Performance Development Coach, Association for Coaching (MAC)

I began my career studying social psychology, completing my PhD in medical social psychology at the University of Loughborough. I taught social psychology, sports psychology, child psychology and psychometrics in a number of top UK universities and developed experience in the design and development of profiling tools. I am a Chartered Psychologist, a registered member of the British Psychological Society, fully trained to level B standards and conversant with the majority of traditional and new psychometric and profiling tools. I am fully conversant with the use of Transactional Analysis, having studied the discipline for 7 years. For the past 15 years, my work has focused upon business and entrepreneurial psychology and most specifically, developing and validating psychological models of effective business and entrepreneurial behaviour. I also have over 10 years experience of coaching business owners, leaders and managers.

I established the Barclays Centre for Entrepreneurship at the University of Durham and led entrepreneurship projects for both the British Government and the European Commission. I was elected fellow of the Royal Society of Arts as a result of my contribution in the field of enterprise and entrepreneurship and was visiting professor at the University of Liverpool.

I have over 25 years experience in the field of enterprise and entrepreneurship and in that time have created 3 successful businesses prior to Venture to Think. I have the unique experience and knowledge of understanding entrepreneurship as well as being an entrepreneur myself and I am passionate about developing enterprising and entrepreneurial behaviour.

Having originally worked with Threshers, Pizza Hut and Snap on Tools to develop a franchine recruitment and develoment profiling tool. I've led a number of initiatives developing enterprise profiling tools for organisations such as Scottish Enterprise, One North East, North West Development Agency and numerous Business Links. I also led a 'spin out' of Virtual Centre.com which has clients including the Cabinet Office and a number of Local Education Authorities..

About Janette Johnson

BEd, Dip Hum Couns, Dip Psych, Certified Transactional Analyst,

Performance Development Coach, Association for Coaching (AMAC)

I originally began my career as a teacher and then qualified as a psychotherapist, running a private psychotherapy and training business for over 14 years. I moved away from practicing psychotherapy a number of years ago and began coaching. Whilst there are key differences between the two approaches, the vast knowledge, understanding and experience that I bring from working with 100's of individuals to enable them to achieve both personal and business success, adds depth and credibility to my work as a coach.

My coaching career began by working with business owners. I'm particularly interested in how our attitudes and behaviours influence how we run and grow our businesses and deliver one to one coaching and training to identify what some of those attitudes and behaviours are, how they are impacting on your business and how to adapt them so that you'll be more productive, your business will be more productive and your life will be more productive. 'Business Issues Require Personal Solutions' and as a business owner, I am well versed in the personal demands made upon us to make a success but also have a range of tools and techniques to enable you to capitalise on your true potential.

My portfolio now includes working with managers both in the private and public sector, academics, executives and leaders. My goal is to enable you to be more effective at what you do rather than efficient. As a consequence of coaching, confidence and motivation increases for the individual and team and the benefits for the organisation is that they they become more effective at what they do as well as combat organisational issues such as sickness, high staff turnover, failure to meet targets etc.

David and Janette also lead a team of highly qualified colleagues and associates which combine the skills of business, counselling, psychology, education, coaching, mentoring and research.