BizBuild Blog

New Business Competition Announced

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:34:38 +0100

A competition to boost the prospects of two businesses by providing a support package including mentoring advice, and £15,000 worth of free advertising with the Guardian has been launched.

The joint campaign between Government and the private sector is designed to inspire entrepreneurs to start or grow their business throughout 2012.

Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk said:

“Having run my own business I know the difficulties that entrepreneurs can face as they look to establish themselves and then grow.

"This competition is a fantastic opportunity to get free access to some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs for mentoring as well as some great advertising opportunities.

“We recognise that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are key to helping the UK economy grow. Business in You is a great way for entrepreneurs to find out how to access the support and advice that is already out there that can make their enterprise a success.”

The partnership also features adverts produced by Channel 4, which show real-life case studies of successful small businesses designed to inspire new start-ups and help existing ones to grow. The adverts air today through to early June across Channel 4 channels, including Film4 and More4.

To find out more go to Business In You Website

Round the clock support and advice for business

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:45:17 +0100

HMRC webinars and online presentations will now be available to view at any time on its website, rather than being aired at set times and dates.

The resources are aimed at small businesses and the self-employed and cover topics including business expenses and capital allowances, becoming an employer, limited companies and VAT.

Colin Ford, head of the project, commented: "The webinars allow businesses and the self-employed to access this information in a lively, interesting format on any day of the year, at any time, day or night."

Visit this link for more information

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/webinars/pre-recorded.htm

Small business success or failure?

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:09:51 +0100

What determines whether a small business succeeds or fails? Well, we don’t have any definitive answers-yet. But the more we learn about this, the more it will help government officials create policies that better support small businesses. With that end in mind, the Kauffman Foundation has just released a new study which offers insight into what successful entrepreneurs believe most affects the success or failure of a startup business.

The survey polled 549 founders of successful businesses in high-growth industries, including aerospace, defense, computing, electronics and health care. Here’s what they said:

Their most important success factors: previous work experience, learning from their successes and failures, a strong management team and good fortune;
98 percent said prior work experience was an “important” success factor; 58 percent said it was “extremely important;”
40 percent said learning from failure was extremely important;
82 percent said the management team was important; 35 percent said it was extremely important;
73 percent said luck was an important factor;
Professional networks were key to success for 73 percent of entrepreneurs surveyed, while 62 percent said personal networks were important;
68 percent said availability of financing/capital was important, but only 11 percent had received venture capital, and just 9 percent had obtained private/angel financing.

What about the most common barriers to entrepreneurial success? The one most respondents cited (a whopping 98 percent of them) was the failure to take risk. Others included:

Not putting in the time and effort required (93 percent)
Difficulty raising capital (91 percent)
Lack of business management skills (89 percent)
Lack of knowledge about how to start a business (84 percent)
Lack of industry and market knowledge (83 percent)
Family or financial pressures to hold a traditional job (73 percent)

Robert E. Litan, vice president of Research and Policy at the Kauffman Foundation, believes the survey results can lead to job creation and a healthy economy. Litan said, “If we, as a nation, respond to this data by developing policies that encourage entrepreneurship, we have the potential to increase the numbers of high-growth companies that will create jobs and accelerate economic recovery.”

The lead researcher, Vivek Wadhwa, agrees: “Entrepreneurs tell us their ranks remain small because others fear the risk and time required to start a venture. But the current economy has given us an opportunity: We could harness the energy of the many workers who are now unemployed, teach them how to be entrepreneurs and provide them with seed financing for their ventures. These workers have nothing to lose, and the economy has a lot to gain.”

Social media digital marketing course now launched

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:14:37 +0100

LEICESTERSHIRE BUSINESSES GET SOCIAL AS NEW TRAINING PROGRAMME IS UNVEILED

Digital Marketing Mentor has unveiled a new training programme specifically designed to help unemployed 18-25 year olds in Leicestershire to get a foot on the career ladder.

Working in conjunction with Business Builder, the commercial arm of Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce and Graduates Need Experience, the programme will enable applicants to gain a recognised qualification in Social Media for Business. Those taking part, will be teamed with a local business to enable the firm to develop their social media marketing, while providing much needed work experience to young people, designed to lead to employment opportunities.

The course will provide three full days of tuition, followed by 12 weeks of mentor supported learning, completing the required course work while honing their new skills and working alongside businesses to put those skills into practice in the workplace.

David Prescod of Digital Marketing Mentor said: “Social media is changing the way businesses communicate and engage with their customers and is a sought after skill. The Digital Marketing Programme gives young people a real opportunity to kick start their career, gain transferable skills and a recognised qualification combined with vital business experience and connections with local firms. In addition, it tackles the issues that businesses can face when recruiting, by providing the opportunity to get to know a person and see their potential with a view to offering employment, references or just valuable experience.”

Paul Murphy, Director of Business Builder said: “The way in which we communicate is constantly evolving and social media is now a vital marketing tool for businesses of all sizes. We are delighted to be working with Digital Marketing Mentor to play our part in tackling unemployment and helping to match local businesses with young people looking for a chance to work and show what they can achieve.”

The Digital Marketing Programme pilot courses will commence from 23 April 2012. Limited places are available. Participating businesses will pay £675 to take part and will receive a bespoke social media plan specifically tailored to their business, along with 2 days a week for 12 weeks of a learner’s time dedicated to working towards the firm’s agreed social media objectives. Course and mentoring fees are covered by the business, so there is no charge for young people taking part - just their commitment to the programme.

David Prescod and Paul Murphy were interviewed on BBC Radio Leicester earlier this week about the programme and you can listen to the interview by clicking this link

http://www.digitalmarketingmentor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Digital-Marketing-Programme-Launch-Interview.mp3

Young people and businesses in the area that are interested in participating in the programme can find full details of the programme and applications can be made online at www.digitalmarketing mentor.co.uk/programme or alternatively email dmprogramme@digitalmarketingmentor.co.uk

Launch of the National Loan Guarantee Scheme (NLGS)

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:59:25 +0000

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has launched the National Loan Guarantee Scheme (NLGS), which helps businesses access cheaper finance by reducing the cost of bank loans under the scheme by 1%-point.

The £20 billion National Loan Guarantee Scheme is designed to lower the cost of loans to small businesses. The scheme is anticipated to lead to reductions of one percentage point in the rate of interest on loans being charged to smaller companies in the UK. For example, a business facing a 7% interest rate to obtain a £5 million loan could see their rate reduced to 6% and their interest costs fall by up to £50,000.

The NLGS works by providing banks with up to £20 billion of guarantees to issue unsecured debt. This will enable participating banks to borrow at a cheaper rate. These banks will pass on the entire benefit of the guarantees to smaller businesses through cheaper loans.

The following banks are participating in the NLGS:

Barclays.
Bank of Scotland.
Lloyds TSB.
NatWest.
Royal Bank of Scotland.
Santander.

In addition, Aldermore have also agreed, in principle, to join the scheme.

The scheme is open to UK based small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) with an annual turnover of less than £50 million.

Interested parties may contact participating banks to discuss finance terms and conditions at any time.

Click here to visit the HM Treasury website (opens in new window).

Pitch your business idea to the founder of Innocent Smoothies

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:56:02 +0000

BBC3 are looking for 500 entrepreneurs and to pitch and showcase their business ideas to Richard Reed (co-founder of Innocent Smoothies).

Richard Reed, co-founder of innocent Drinks, has up to £1million that he is making available to entrepreneurs with a brilliant business idea or perhaps a business they’ve already got off the ground.

Twelve years ago Richard started his business with his two university friends, Adam and Jon, but it very nearly didn’t get started because they couldn’t find an investor.

Today, Richard wants to give the next generation of Great British entrepreneurs a helping hand in getting started. He’s looking to meet 500 businesses and from there he’ll decide who to invest in.

To take part in this exciting new BBC Three TV series, you need to be over 18 and will have either started a small business or have a great idea that you really want to follow through with. The deadline for applications is 8th April 2012.

The website to apply is at https://couldyoubeyourownboss.apply.twofour.co.uk/

Their twitter is: @BYOBoss_BBC3

Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Be-Your-Own-Boss-BBC-Three/365962350095405

The Employer Ownership Pilot Funding Scheme

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:16:15 +0000

The Employer Ownership pilot offers all employers in England direct access to up to £250 million of public investment over the next two years to design and deliver their own training solutions. The pilot is jointly overseen by UKCES, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Education.

The overall aim of the pilot is to find more effective and sustainable ways to improve skills in the workforce and to use these improved skills to drive up productivity and growth.

Proposals are invited from employers that support the following key objectives:

Increase the impact of work readiness, workforce development and Apprenticeships activity
Employers are better able to secure the training they need by having the influence they require over quality and content and can shape training provision to meet their needs
Collaboration amongst employers to address cross-sector or supply chain skills challenges is increased
Employer leadership, commitment and investment in skills is increased, including the involvement of employers who do not have a track record of investing in skills.

For employers, the pilot offers greater flexibility to improve programme design, to deliver training and employment opportunities that have real value in the labour market, and to demonstrate how accountability for public funds can be made as simple as possible. It promotes employee engagement and collaboration between employers to create training and employment opportunities that achieve joint goals.

The prospectus invites employers to work with employees, trade unions, colleges and training providers, and other partners to develop proposals that set out how they will invest in skills to drive enterprise, jobs and growth within a sector, supply chain or locality. It does not define the skills that employers need to develop. Nor does it specify the levels of public money available for each individual type of training. It is an open invitation to employers to put forward proposals for co-investment in skills and training that will have a real impact on their employees, business and the sector at large.

For more information and to access the prospectus go to http://www.ukces.org.uk/ourwork/employer-ownership

Are you interested in recruiting a graduate for 25% less?

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:01:06 +0000

CHANGE AGENTS UK can help SME’s recruit and employ a graduate for a sustainability position or project and secure a 25% refund of the gross salary costs via EU funding.

The criteria for businesses to apply is summarised as follows:

• They are an SME (employing fewer than 250 people) based in the East Midlands regions of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire or Leicestershire.

• They are not owned by an organisation that is not an SME

• They have not had more than 200,000Euro of European Funded support in the previous 3 years

• Their Annual turnover does not exceed €50 million or Annual balance sheet does not exceed €43 million

• They should be made aware that the grant is made available by ERDF.

Funding is available until December 2012 and graduates must have an element of working towards sustainability in their role.

If you are an SME in the east midlands that would appreciate a 25% discount on your salary costs then do contact Change Partnerships.

Karl McGrory

Head of Change Partnerships – CHANGE AGENTS UK

DDI: 01572 725844 | Main: 01572 723419 | Mobile: 07742 267882

www.changeagents.org.uk| LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook

Entries now open for The Pitch

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:46:30 +0000

Applications for the 2012 round of The Pitch, an annual competition which aims to find the UK's most exciting and innovative small companies and entrepreneurial talent, are now being accepted.

Successful entrepreneurs will be chosen from five regions to present their product or service, with five winners plus a wildcard entry selected to go through to a live grand final in London. Business ideas may be in any field; however, the judges will assess all pitches by looking for innovation, engagement with customers, sound financial and business planning, and an understanding of where the opportunities exist in the market for the product or service.

The winning entrepreneur will receive a package of business support prizes worth £50,000. Every entrant who takes part in The Pitch will receive expert advice on their business idea, guidance on their business plan and access to a range of business resources. Each finalist will also receive extensive media coverage.

To enter, businesses must be based in the UK, established for less than three years at the time of entry and employ no more than 20 members of staff.

The contest comprises regional heats taking place in the summer, followed by a grand final later in the year.

Entries are now being accepted at the applicants’ earliest convenience and the closing date is 31st May 2012.

Click HERE to go to the website.

New Grant Fund from Enterprise Nation

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:59:28 +0000

Through Fund101 you can apply for up to £500 to get going or growing!

If you have an idea for a business and need a bit of cash to get started or you’re running a small business and need up to £500 to buy equipment, promotion flyers, hardware etc, you can apply.

Apply for between £50 and £500 and once you receive the money, the only thing we ask is you agree to be profiled on the site so we can see how you’re getting on. The money doesn’t have to be paid back; it’s for you to use on your idea or business.

Apply at Enterprise Nation outline how much money you need and for what purpose. Make a good case for your idea and then encourage as many people as possible to vote for you. The number of votes required is equal to the amount of funding you’re looking for so to obtain £500 you’ll need to secure 500 virtual votes.

Start up businesses should indentify gap in market first

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:40:35 +0000

Conventional thinking (and often advice) given to prospective new start ups is to find or create a business idea (or product) first and then work out who you are going to sell it to.

The problem with this approach is that more often than not it will result in novice business owners wasting their time, effort and money in creating a product, service or business idea that nobody wants.

But unfortunately, this is how too many people approach starting a business for the first time, and even worse they are encouraged to do so by the abundance of self-styled business 'gurus' who try to get you to sign up to their latest seminar or buy their latest book or start up toolkit.

However, those individuals who do manage to start up successfully - sometimes following one or two false starts along the way - are the ones who have managed to spot a local market gap or a niche that nobody else is filling first, and then go on to offer a product or service that will satisfy the needs of that market niche.

This doesn't necessarily have to be anything large scale - just a little edge, gap or opportunity that no-one else seems to have spotted - and which will successfully lead to another, albeit part-time, micro-enterprise getting itself off the ground.

In its most basic form this represents true entrepreneurship.

To read the full article and self help questions about starting up a business go to http://www.cobwebinfo.com/site/article_detail/item15745/small-business-gaps-edges-and-little-steps/?link_466=15745#comments

Businesses - Your Regulators Need You!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:43:26 +0000

Businesses - Your Regulators Need You!

Businesses in Leicester and Leicestershire are being offered the opportunity to help provide frontline regulatory officers with a better understanding of the pressures faced by local small businesses. This innovative approach to helping regulatory officers, such as Environmental Health and Trading Standards Officers, gain experience of how businesses within Leicester and Leicestershire operate will improve the ability of those officers to interact more effectively with businesses and provide the support local businesses need.

The Local Enterprise Partnerships’ Better Business for All programme has been established to create a new relationship between businesses and those who regulate them. This new relationship will seek to support business growth through removing the real and perceived regulatory barriers to growth.

The lack of understanding that officers have regarding the pressures faced by small businesses is considered to be a barrier to a more effective and supportive relationship between businesses and regulators. The introduction of a Business Awareness scheme is aimed at removing this barrier.

To really make a difference and provide an opportunity to gain this valuable business insight local businesses are needed. A small group of regulators will visit the host business to have discussions and otherwise see the world from the business perspective. The visit will take no longer than 2 hours and the regulators will be focusing on the following questions:

What are the most significant business challenges that the host business face?
How is the operating/economic context changing for the host business?
What are the host businesses’ positive and less positive experiences of being regulated?
What could be done, by individual regulators and by the Local Enterprise Partnership, for the business in question, to make regulation less burdensome and for regulators to add more value to the business?

The regulators are not visiting in a regulatory capacity and therefore will not be undertaking an inspection of any kind.

The first Business Awareness sessions are planned for 20^th, 21^st, 23^rd, 24^th, 27^th and 28^th February 2012. The visits will take place either between 11am – 1pm or 1pm-3pm. If your business would like to take part or you would like to find out more details please contact Kathryn Preece on 07833 469520 kathryn.preece@llep.org.uk. or Tom Ipgrave 0871 384 3185 tom.ipgrave@llep.org.uk

Further information on Better Business for All can be found at www.llep.org.uk/betterbusinessforall

Businesses must look for self help rather than state aid

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:00:23 +0000

Black Country businesses must stop acting like "issue families stuck in a benefits cycle" and look to self-help rather than state aid, the leader of the region's LEP has told an Insider forum.

And Stewart Towe, chairman of the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, said that larger companies must start tutoring smaller businesses through the downturn.

"The days of grants are gone forever. We have to look at self-help," Towe told an audience of more than 100 business leaders at Insider's Black Country Economic Forum, held at Walsall FC's Banks's Stadium.

Small Business Finance - what's out there?

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:33:29 +0000

One of the most common enquiries we receive at Business Builder is about funding for businesses. Grants are still available but few and far between and your location in the UK and your business sector relates strongly to availability and eligibility.

A good place to start looking is on the Business Link website using their Business Support Finder service.

The Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) is a government loan guarantee scheme intended to facilitate additional bank lending to viable SMEs with insufficient or no security with which to secure a normal commercial loan. It is available till 2015. For further details click on this link Enterprise Finance Guarantee

Alternative sources of funding exist outside the more conventional realm of the high street bank. However, many small businesses don't know this. There are a number of finance providers and mechanisms available to bridge the "finance gap " (problem with finding funding) that a small business might experience. These are often known as quasi-commercial providers (QCOM).

Micro-credit finance, for example, is a type of non-bank or informal finance. Usually it takes the form of a small loan to an individual or group of individuals who are in some way 'socially excluded'. The purpose of the loan is to help them to start a business or become self-employed. The largest provider of micro-credit finance is The Prince's Trust Enterprise Programme, which provides an estimated Ł40 million a year, currently being generated by its activities, to support start-up businesses. Along with financial support comes a mentoring scheme (friendly, expert helpers).

Some micro-credit providers can form a formal or informal partnership with other funding organisations, public or private, to provide financial support. "One lender will match the funds of other lenders providing that at least one of the those other lenders has undertaken rigorous screening/investigation of the loan candidate (and incurs the cost of doing so)".

Other examples of quasi-commercial finance include social banks, which will only lend to businesses with clear social and environmental objectives while other organisations. Take a look at www.sel.org.uk which lists many organisations offering funding to co-operative or community-based enterprises.

In a survey by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in 2011, only 2 out of 103 SMEs surveyed - all with under 10 employees, a sales turnover of under Ł2.5m and from all industrial sectors - were aware of social bank loans.

There is also a new option for small and medium-sized businesses seeking funding to develop their operations, following the introduction of legislation on 8th January 2012 allowing credit unions to lend to them.

Credit unions were previously restricted who they could provide financial services to, but are now able to choose to lend to small companies and other organisations, which may have been unable to access funding through traditional mainstream financial service providers.

The changes in legislation mean those struggling to start up, or those small firms who are struggling to survive due to cash flow problems, have a potential extra financial lifeline to help boost their business. For further information go to British Association of Credit Unions

Leadership and Management Development Grant is ending in February

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:51:07 +0000

It has been confirmed that the Leadership and Management Development Grant scheme is due to end in February, therefore, those wishing to apply should now do so at their earliest convenience.

Thousands of SMEs and social enterprises with growth potential are already benefiting from the scheme, which is designed to help stimulate innovation and employment, thereby boosting the economy.

A match funded grant of up to £1,000 can be spent on leadership training and coaching that aids business growth, improving productivity and competitiveness. The programme also includes a free consultation with a business adviser before the training commences, as well as a free follow-up to discuss the impact of the training and any further skills needs.

The scheme is being administered through the regional Leadership and Management Advisory Service. Contact details for the service are available through the Business Link website, where business managers will be able to book a personal leadership and management assessment.

To be eligible, the business must be in England and have:

up to 249 full-time equivalent employees; and
the potential for high or fast growth.

The scheme closes in February 2012; therefore, interested parties should now submit applications at their earliest convenience.

Business support is being unleashed, says Mark Prisk

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:31:19 +0000

Business minister Mark Prisk says cuts to public funding of business support does not mean that advice is no longer available.

Small business owners must get used to seeking out the advice and support they need rather than expecting it to come to them, the minister overseeing radical reforms to Business Link has said.

Mark Prisk, the Business Minister, defended the Government from criticism that people trying to set up businesses for the first time now face “a serious lack of help”.

Advisers argue there is a significant “hole” left by the demise of the Business Link network of advice centres last month and the end of regional development agency funding.

Mr Prisk said the decision to shift public funding away from advising start ups towards companies with the potential to grow quickly and export was right.

The plethora of private sector initiatives that have been created since announcing the decision to close Business Link was evidence that State funding could crowd out the market for business advice, he added.

Go to Full Article for the whole story.

Help for SME's to protect their intellectual property and grow their business

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:53:46 +0000

New measures announced by the Government today will help small and medium sized firms to protect their intellectual property and grow their business.

The package forms part of the Government’s Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth, which has been published today. It sets out plans to boost growth through substantial investment in research and innovation across the UK.

Key actions announced today by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) include:

A new online business advisor training tool that will give advisors the skills and information they need to help businesses protect the value of their intellectual property.
An online register of advisors to help businesses find the right advisor for them quickly and easily.
Consulting businesses, business advisors and IP specialists about how lower cost IP legal and commercial advice can be provided.
Offering free intellectual property audits to businesses through routes such as the Technology Strategy Board.
Enhancing existing schemes such as mediation to provide a more efficient dispute resolution service that can prevent potentially costly legal cases.

For further details go to

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=422404&NewsAreaID=2&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bis-news+%28BIS+News%29

New Business Growth Grant Competition

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:41:08 +0000

Businesses with annual turnovers of between £100,000 and £2m with ambitions for growth could win one HSBC's new grants.

HSBC has launched its brand-new Business Growth Grant competition, to support motivated business owners and entrepreneurs across the UK looking to expand. All they need to do is demonstrate how the grant will help them boost their operation, either in the UK or by trading overseas.

A total grant pot of £200,000 is available, and up to four grants worth £50,000 each, will be awarded. Applications are being accepted until 31 December 2011.

Ambitions to expand

Up to two of the grants are essentially domestic growth grants that will be awarded to businesses that want to take their UK operations to the next level; this might be because they’ve got a fantastic business model that they want to grow organically, such as opening more outlets or increasing production. Alternatively, it could be a business with plans to take over another business that could support their supply chain, for example.

Up to two grants are for entrepreneurs with overseas ambitions. These will go to businesses that have either been successful in the UK but perhaps now have their eyes on overseas trade for the first time, or businesses that already focus on overseas trade but have aspirations to expand or enter other countries.

Who can apply?

Businesses that are eligible to enter the competition for the HSBC Business Growth Grant are those that:

are UK-based (includes Northern Ireland and excludes the Channel Islands and Isle of Man)
have been trading for 12 months or longer
have a minimum turnover of £100,000 and a maximum turnover of £2m per annum
can provide profit and loss and balance sheet information for 12 months or longer and projected financial information for a minimum of two years

Visit www.hsbc.co.uk/businessgrantfor full details and terms and conditions.

If your business is eligible, you can download an application form from the HSBC Business Growth Grant website. You'll need to answer some straightforward questions about the financial aspects of your business, as well as queries about your business thinking and your strategies for growth. You can then submit the form online.

After the 31 December 2011 application deadline, The Judging Panel will select up to a maximum number of 5 entrants as finalists for each category.

The ten selected finalists will then be invited to visit HSBC's headquarters in London in February 2012, where they will be asked to pitch their case to the judges and demonstrate how a grant could turn their forward thinking into business action.

The winners will be announced by 31 March 2012.

Act now to get your application in before the 31 December 2011 deadline.

It's easy to apply:

Download the application online from the HSBC Business Growth Grant website
Fill in the application
Submit online

Regional Growth Fund to help small businesses

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:11:14 +0000

Hundreds of small businesses will benefit from government investment of £95 million to help boost growth and rebalance the economy.

The funding is expected to create at least 4,000 jobs and unlock around £500 million of new investment by small and medium businesses (SMEs).

RBS, NatWest and HSBC have agreed to facilitate the distribution of the £95 million - which is part of the government’s Regional Growth Fund. RBS and NatWest will facilitate £70 million and HSBC will facilitate £25 million. The banks will not profit financially from the administration of these schemes.

Through these schemes small businesses, which are unable to secure commercial funding for their project, have the potential to benefit from government support through the banks’ regional networks in order to make their project commercially viable. The schemes announced today will provide grants to support SMEs considering investing in new capital assets and creating new employment.

For more information go to Regional Growth Fund

Launch of new Business Support Service

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:46:57 +0000

Business Builder, the commercial arm of Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce, has developed an exciting and unique joint venture with colleagues at De Montfort University Business & Law Faculty to provide a new business support service for businesses in the city and county.

Our decision to join forces is to provide an innovative “face-to-face’’ service to meet the needs of local business following the closure of the regional Business Link service.

This new service will not replace the old Business Link offer and will be delivered on a commercial basis enabling businesses to invest in their future.

The combination of skills will assist businesses in Leicester and Leicestershire, through innovation and enterprise to gain a competitive advantage. The service is tailored and will give bespoke support to meet local business needs from entrepreneurial sole traders to large international companies.

If you want to release your business potential and grow the business we will offer a free review meeting to identify the needs and opportunities for you and your business to develop.

We are holding an information event at:

Location: The Chamber of Commerce, 1 Mill Lane, Leicester
Date: 23^rd November 2011
Time: Drop in from 17.00hrs till 19.00hrs
Refreshments: Drinks and canapés will be served

At the event, you will have the opportunity to hear about the range of services available and to meet key personnel from De Montfort University, Leicestershire Chamber and Business Builder as well as network with local SME’s.

If you would like to know more or attend the event please contact us: -

Tel 0116 2587354 or email jackiel@bizbuild.co.uk