Our Services

Despite living in a digital multimedia world, there is still no substitute for face-to-face contact. A good selection of resources are available online from the public and private sectors, but people want the opportunity to talk face-to-face with a trusted professional

Suffolk Enterprise Business Support goes further and offers personal one-to-one support - at locations and times of your choice and convenience.

When you're an owner/proprietor/director setting up or running a "micro-enterprise" - one with less than 10 full-time employees - you can't be an expert in all business matters. Whether you're struggling or successful, there will be strains. To relieve the sress, why not call in someone who's "been there, done that, got the T-shirt" to provide a short burst of "rocket fuel" to help you out? Someone who'll come to you, when it suits you and talk through the issues and challenges and help you begin to see, plan and implement a way forward?

With over 30 years of business expertise and experience, ranging from small start-ups to global corporates, and potentially with additional associates, I offer specialist buiness support in:

Business support can be offered through coaching, mentoring, training and consultancy.

Suffolk Enterprise Business Support  aims to be responsive, friendly, understanding, helpful and inexpensive.

 

An indication of our professional fees can be found on the Contact Us page, but some of our support is delivered to Suffolk social enterprises free or with third-party funding to deliver free to beneficiaries:

A Marketing Research report covering a communith survey of 5,500 households and business premises in the postal code are of IP17 was completed in Autumn 2008 by Suffolk Enterprise Business Support for The Saxmundham & District Community Interest Company - at no charge.  A copy of the full report can be found by clicking here.

A free website and start-up content was sourced by Suffolk Enterprise Business Support for the Rural East Suffolk Carers Action Network.

The website can be found by clicking here.

Suffolk Enterprise Business Support supported The Big Lottery Fund who put together a a one day workshop to help enterprises, who are coming to the end of their Lottery funding, plan for their long-term funding future and the sustainability of their projects and organisation.

The day covered such topics as business planning for organisations, social enterprise in practice and commissioning and contracts.

Don Tricker, PASTEL CEO, led the workshop on "Becoming a Community Interest Company (CIC)." The event took place on April 2nd (9.30am- 3.30pm) in Cambridge.

Through the Supplier Brokerage Service, Suffolk Enterprise Business Support are approved by Business Link as an external solutions provider to deliver free support services via their new "Social Enterprise Business Support Grant" for one to one advice to social enterprises who are in pre-start-up or start-up within the first year of operations- worth up to £1,500. For more information on free business advice from Business Link East, please visit: www.businesslink.gov.uk or tel: 08457 -171615. For any further clarification contact Peter Gatland on tel: 0845-641-9915.

To enquire costs nothing. Find out if we can help you! Please use this form to provide a basic brief on your enterprise/idea and your requirements...

"Social Enterprise Business Support Grant"

  The˜Social Enterprise Business Support Grant" is replacing the existing Business Link ˜Social Enterprise Voucher Scheme".The new programme provides greater funding to those in need of business support and is easier to access than the previous scheme.

The grant is for up to £1,500 and covers the cost of business support consultancy and training (up to 100% of the cost).  The grant must be used to pay for business support and cannot be used for:

• Capital expenditure
• Salaries of staff
• Cost of legal action

Who can apply?

 

• Social enterprises based in the East of England
• Social enterprises that are already trading - to enable them to improve business efficiency and grow.

 

What is the process?

All applicants will need to have a diagnostic session with a Business Link Adviser. As part of this diagnostic session the client and the Business Link Adviser will agree an action plan, where the action plan identifies the need for business support consultancy or training the client may apply for the grant to cover the cost (up to £1,500).

The Business Link Adviser will assist the client in completing a simple application form and if approved the client will be able to reclaim the cost of the required consultancy (up to £1,500). Costs can be reclaimed in up to three stages to reduce client outlay.

Only consultants or training providers registered on the Business Link˜Supplier Brokerage Service", such as Suffolk Enterprise Business Support, may be used under this scheme.

 

The initial consultation – to understand your issues – is free. So contact us now – you have nothing to lose and possibly a great deal to gain!