Slightly nervous and with a few stutters, a man stands up in front of a dozen company owners and asks “how do I add value to my family business?”

A process then begins where each director in the room asks questions to get to the root of his problem and then offers advice on how he can put his talents to good use in the firm.

This is at the Family Business Executive Growth Programme, a new scheme in the county aimed at the owners of first, second, third and fourth generation companies and beyond.

The advice given comes from a range of people, from bosses in business for more than 40 years to people who have just taken their first steps joining their family firm.

Crucially, the session is completely confidential, with each participant signing a waiver promising not to disclose any details uttered between the four walls of the event, held at Macknade Fine Foods in Faversham.

“It’s a first in the county,” said Anita Brightley-Hodges, managing director and founder of the Family Business Place in Detling, which is behind the family-focused sessions.

She said: “Family businesses are normally quite isolated. They can’t talk to relatives or staff.

“To have this board of family businesses will help them to think – and ask questions they have never asked because they were so encapsulated in their own world.”

The idea is to create a board of company directors who meet for the sessions once a month at the offices of members around the county.

They then help each other grow and become more efficient through a series of exercises involving tough questioning, full disclosure and making presentations.

This is led by Tim Hawkes and his father Richard, who run similar events through their company Unlimited Potential, in Eridge, near Tunbridge Wells.

Tim said: “Don’t underestimate the power of someone listening to someone else in the room and thinking ‘that’s me, hallelujah’.

“That relief can make a business thrive. There is not a single executive out there that doesn’t suffer alone. That is why we are here.”

The sessions typically take a day, with a high-profile speaker booked for the morning and business workshops in the afternoon. Membership of the programme does not come cheap, though, costing £800 a month.

The afternoon taster event for the programme was well-received by those who went.

“This is very useful,” said William Opie, managing director of Bennett Opie, a fifth-generation pickled food supplier in Sittingbourne. “A lot of smaller businesses are not in a position to take on a non-executive director.

“If you have a small team, this is good to bounce things off a network of people.”

David Ward, chief executive of Strood’s Ward Security, said: “The talk really made me stop and think.

“I’m going to digest the things said by all the different people. Why go through pain barriers alone if others can help you go through them?

“The quality of the people in the room was very impressive. I’m 20 years in the game and I felt like an apprentice next to some of these guys.”

As well as bigger family businesses, the group is open to bosses of small companies.

Sarah Holliday, co-owner of Attol Marbled Glass in Whitstable, which has four staff, said: “Understanding other people have come from the same position is useful as a small business just starting out.

“You see you’re not on your own and not having a unique struggle. You see other people have been through that and come out the other side.”

Kevin Bowden, boss of printer firm Bowden Digitec in Sittingbourne, said: “The discussion was energetic. There was a great atmosphere and passion in the room.”