Meet the businesses who are in the business of making your business better!
Organisations have now been selected to help Plymouth companies become more efficient more profitable and greener.
The Council was awarded funding through the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund to commission a range of support for local businesses, all designed to make new business more confident as well as encourage entrepreneurial spirit in underrepresented groups. They are:
Social enterprise and Co-operatives
The Social Enterprise Advice and Support (SEAS) Programme, a partnership led by Iridescent Ideas CIC will provide business support and advice for social enterprises and co-operatives. Support available includes access to expert, specialist one-to-one advice, workshops covering digital skills, funding and finance, marketing, business planning as well as access to a suite of online courses. Interested? Email seas@iridescentideas.com, call 07786 863206 or visit the Iridescent Ideas website
Net zero
The Pathway to Net Zero programme will provide free support for city businesses to adopt more environmentally conscious processes and move towards becoming net zero. Delivered by Business Information Point, Cosmic and Carbon Sense, it offers a mixture of one-to-one sessions, workshops, and self-learning resources, offering support with sustainable business practices, developing a green workforce culture, reducing your digital carbon footprint, sustainability certification options, environmental management system and carbon measurement and free carbon audits. Interested? Visit http://businessinfopoint.co.uk/pathway-to-net-zero or email team@businessinfopoint.co.uk
Start up and general business support
Run by Digital Remit, this is a friendly programme working with entrepreneurs to take their business to the next level and welcomes individuals who are at the idea stage as well as those with an established business. Called Dream. Learn. Grow, it entails a series of five courses, which cover the essentials of business: creating value, marketing plans, customer relationships, cashflow and finance, and business plans. Each last for two hours and is delivered online. The courses are held at different times of day and different days of the week to offer flexibility for busy working people. Interested? Visit http://digitalremit.link/plymouthapplication
Council leader Tudor Evans OBE said: “There were almost 7,000 enterprises in Plymouth last year. That’s a lot of people having a go at running a business in a very tough environment. I admire and really value what people are doing to help themselves, their families and their contribution to the economy of this city.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for them to get the support they need to make the best use of their skills, flair and time. We are particularly keen to encourage women to have a go – only 6.5 per cent of working women Plymouth are self employed compared to 8.7 per cent across the South West at 8.7 per cent.”