There is a real sense of the nation opening up for business once again (it was fantastic to see the queues outside shops in Leicester), so this week we want to delve a little deeper into the free services from the Business Gateway Growth Hub and understand just how they can help your business.
If you aren’t aware, the Growth Hub provides comprehensive business support, free and impartial advice as well as capital grants of between £2,000 and £25,000 to small and medium-sized enterprises in Leicester and Leicestershire. They also have an extensive webinar programme on offer that has been developed over the past few months.
This isn’t just another online offering though, there are business advisers (real people!) available at the end of the line, and we wanted to find out more about them and understand what makes them tick. The Growth Hub has a team of 11 advisers who have invaluable experience of running their own business, or have held significant roles in commercial businesses, so they really do ‘get’ the challenges you face.
The front-line advisers take the initial call and find out a little more about you, so they can marry you up to the right support. The business adviser will then be in touch to set up that initial meeting, either virtually or on the phone, until face-to-face is possible again.
Ian Evley, Business Adviser talked through that process with us:
“The first conversation is all about getting to the core of the business and discovering what makes it tick. People often ask what they need to bring ready for the call and I always answer the same: themselves!
“There’s finance including grants available and we can help large numbers of businesses to access it to support their business, especially during these uncertain times. Being a business owner can be stressful and at the moment, for some, those stresses are tenfold. Sometimes, it helps to have someone who understands, and this can lead to the answers the business needs.”
More than simply providing information, a Growth Hub adviser will find key areas where a business could utilise advice and funding most effectively. The Growth Hub is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and run in partnership with Leicester City Council, East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire), Leicestershire County Council and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership Limited (LLEP), so you know you can trust the support provided.
Still unsure or nervous about picking up the phone? Don’t be. They are down to earth and, having been through the process myself, the team make you feel at ease very quickly, so, what have you got to lose?
