How many business owners can look at a line of household names like Argos, Barclaycard, BUPA, AA Hotels and the RAC, and see their own business right alongside?

Thanks to some smart thinking and relationship building, Mike Foster, managing director of the A1 Group, is in that enviable position. He has positioned one of his companies, A1 First Aid, as a membership discount offer for Tourism South East.

Members of TSE are either in the tourism market or suppliers to it. They will be seeing offers from A1 First Aid alongside those blue-chip names in brochures and leaflets.

“It's so good to see your company name up there with these fantastic high street brands,” said Mr Foster, 40.

“It's such a huge recognition of our offering, and it all came from local networking. It was the Didcot Chamber of Commerce who put me on to it.

“The chamber has a partnership with TSE offering joint membership. After we spoke to local TSE representatives they showed interest, took references and then the offer was finalised for this year’s members’ pack.”

The products being offered at a discount through TSE are Health and Safety Executive approved first aid training and a DVD based upon that training.

Using the DVD companies can drastically cut the cost of meeting the 'strong' recommendation of the HSE that all first aiders should refresh their knowledge on an annual basis.

“It is important that customers realise the DVD doesn't replace formal ‘approved’ training,” said Mr Foster.

“But during their three-year qualification period, the DVD can be used for crucial refresher training.”

Using a DVD is convenient for staff and their employers. Other options are external trainers or sending staff on courses, which mean time off and first aiders not being on call. External courses mean extra travel expenses, too.

"Combining classroom training with the DVD is a cost-effective way for companies to fulfil their obligations and meet HSE recommendations," said Mr Foster.

"We've found that being involved with Tourism South East has not only given us great exposure, but also raised the awareness of how important first aid is in the workplace."

Mr Foster keeps himself busy running the other companies in the A1 Group: a low-cost bookkeeping service, a marketing support company and the new Didcot play centre, The Treehouse.

In growing companies, bookkeeping becomes a headache, usually for the owner. Receiving the support of an A1 Financials bookkeeper releases the owner to work on the business, rather than in it.

A1 Financials has proved itself against stiff competition, last year reaching the shortlist of five companies, from over 3,000, for the Bookkeeping Practice of the Year award, given by the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers.

This year, Mr Foster was asked to co-ordinate continual professional development for local Oxfordshire based members of the ICB. He has also launched the A1 Financials model as a franchise opportunity in the UK.

The A1 Financials service offers management accounting information, not just bookkeeping. This helps companies keep on top of trends and identify income and expenditure on a month-to-month basis, rather than once a year, after the accountant has done the year-end accounts.

“We offer an element of management accounting that examines where the money is going. We had a case recently where we were able to show that a client was spending £5,000 with no visible return,” said Mr Foster.

As all the companies in the A1 Group provide support to business owners, the latest venture, the opening of a new play centre in Didcot in October, comes as a surprise.

But it is the realisation of a long-held ambition.

Mr Foster's background is in small business banking and management in the leisure industry and Didcot residents might recognise him from his time running the Wave leisure pool. It was then that he identified the need for a play centre business, as there were few local options for parents or carers with young children.

“I've had the idea since setting up the A1 Group in 2003, but it wasn't until I found the right location recently that I could realise my vision,” Mr Foster said.

“It was christened The Treehouse after a naming competition, publicised in the press, which was won by local schoolchildren Chloe Hodgson and Cameron Howes.”

Running four companies is no mean feat for any entrepreneur but he sees rewards coming in the future.

“The idea is to create companies that can eventually operate without me, and my goal this year has been to spend more time with my family, following the birth of my first child, Molly,” Mr Foster said.