Stoke-on-Trent Fledgling Business Growth Grant
Stoke-on-Trent City Council, through Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, is offering a new Fledgling Business Growth Grant of up to £5,000 to eligible Stoke-on-Trent businesses, who have started in the last 2 years.
The grant will be aimed primarily at those businesses that have received little previous government support and will target new fledgling businesses looking to deliver growth and recover from the adverse effects of the pandemic.
- Published in Finance & Funding
Investment Readiness Programme
Grants funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to assist with third party costs associated in preparing the necessary documents to help businesses with their growth plans and to apply for growth funding.
How much funding is available?
For SME’s who are currently trading, grants are available for up to 60% of the cost with a maximum grant of £3,000 (minimum grants of £1,000). Minimal Total Project Cost must be £1,700.
Eligibility Criteria
- Located within the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire LEP area
- Fulfil the full definition of an SME trading 6+ months
- Have received less than £200,000 of state aid assistance in the last 3 years
- Pay business rates to one of the local authorities within the SSLEP area (these must be not be in arrears)
- Fit within certain sectors*
The following are examples of eligible project costs however this list is not exhaustive:
- Accountant or other professionals’ costs associated with the preparation of a business plan, financial projections, and debt consolidation advice.
- Professional costs associated with preparation of a Marketing Strategy, HR/workforce consultancy advice to assist with underpinning business restructure arrangements and to put contingency measures in place to assist with business resilience in the future.
It does not cover any statutory financial documents prepared by the Accountant, such as preparation of wage data, VAT returns, year-end accounts, or tax returns.
To express your interest in this programme please send an email to businessenquiries@stokestaffslep.org.uk
Get regular updates on grant funding, events, webinars and business support here.
- Published in Finance & Funding
Experian Business Express Credit Reports (PAYG)
Instantly credit check a UK business online.
Staffordshire Chamber members or customers are entitled to 50% discount on one off credit checks.
Experian business credit reports enable you to instantly check a company online, allowing you to make quick and informed decisions about potential customers and suppliers. Single business credit reports give you quick and simple access to online business reports and directors information.
Know who you’re dealing with
- By checking your customers
- By checking the people behind a business
- By checking your suppliers
Get paid on time
- By knowing if a company is financially stable
- By seeing a company’s credit rating
- By finding out how quickly a business pays its invoices
- Published in Finance & Funding, Marketing & Digital Innovation
Experian My Business Profile
See how banks & suppliers view your Limited Company credit score with My Business Profile from Experian.
Includes a 90-day free trial followed by a discounted subscription for Staffordshire Chamber members and customers off £12.50 + Vat per month (50% discount) for continued usage. Cancel at any time.
Check and improve your business credit score
Being denied company credit can be bad news for your business, especially if you need finance to grow.
If your business has been refused credit or struggled to secure new finance, you’ll know how that can impact your plans. But is relying on your personal finances really the answer?
With My Business Profile, you get full visibility of your business credit profile, enabling you to understand what’s affecting your company credit score and preventing you from being able to obtain that all important company finance.
How does My Business Profile help?
- Find out the top 5 factors influencing your score
Give yourself the best chance when applying for business credit, by working on the areas that are affecting your score - See what lenders see when making credit decisions about your business
This is one of the only reports of its type to include commercial CAIS data, making it the most accurate and fully comprehensive view of your own business credit profile - Automatic Alerts
Receive alerts about significant changes, so you can act quickly to reduce any negative impacts to your score - Customer Support
On-going advice and support to help make your business credit score the best it can be
Login and visit the member area to receive your discount here.
- Published in Finance & Funding
GROWTHmapper® Recovery
Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Growth Hub has invested in a cutting-edge online business diagnostic tool, GROWTHmapper® Recovery, in order to support small-to-medium businesses across Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire with recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
What is GROWTHmapper® Recovery?
The purpose-built diagnostic and planning tool was created by Oxford Innovation, supported by the Enterprise Research Centre. GROWTHmapper® Recovery is designed to minimise the risk of business failure by identifying the particular key priorities for each business, highlighting any necessary tactical approaches to creating stability.
How does it work?
Each member of the management team within the business undertakes the GROWTHmapper® recovery online questionnaire. Taking just 15 minutes to complete, it examines 6 key areas: cash-flow, finance, market, demand capability, human resources and personal resilience.
The GROWTHmapper® Recovery report contains a series of charts that highlight relative strengths and weaknesses. This, together with a fully-funded 1-2-1 Diagnostic with an Accredited Business Advisor from Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Growth Hub, allows a leadership team to check for consistency in their understanding of the challenges to agree priorities for action. The Business Advisor uses the report to facilitate a discussion that focuses attention on key actions and recovery planning, all adjusted to reflect the relative levels of crisis or resilience in each area of operations.
GROWTHmapper® Recovery uses a unique intervention matrix, which provides specific options for each business dependent upon their relative position on the pathway to recovery. These are created through analysis of each operational area in the context of the impact of Covid19 on the business.
For more information please contact Richard Brace on 01782 202222 or email richard.brace@staffordshirechambers.co.uk
- Published in Finance & Funding, Start-Up & Grow
Chamber Finance Finder
The Chamber Finance Finder simplifies and speeds up the funding process, matching members’ businesses with the right funding opportunities across loans, equity investment, grants and commercial mortgages. Register an account for free and within minutes, you could be matched to all available finance opportunities on the market, including the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS). Check your eligibility and track your progress via the Chamber Finance Finder, with a team of experts readily available to support you throughout the process. Chamber members will also have access to several exclusive benefits, including:
- 5 days a week Chamber Finance Finder hotline
- Free financial health check
- Templates and tools to aid your application
- Finance updates and alerts
- Access to a finance newsroom
To view the Chamber Finance Finder please click here.
- Published in Finance & Funding
Business Crime Helpline
The total price tag of burglary, shoplifting, robbery, criminal damage, theft and other offences against businesses in Staffordshire is estimated at over £7,300 per hour.
The Staffordshire Commissioners Office has commissioned Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce to deliver specialist support to businesses impacted by crime. Business Crime Advisors are trained to deliver tailored support packages to businesses following a crime.
If you have been the victim of a business crime or would like to find out more information about how you can support victims, call 01782 900239.
- Published in Finance & Funding
Europe Direct Information Centre
A Europe Direct Information Centre (EDIC) is your local information contact point on Europe.
There is a network of EDICs that will engage on EU topics of relevance to the public at local and regional level, promote dialogue on EU issues and cooperate with other EU or local information networks and contact points. Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce are working with the European Commission to deliver the Staffordshire Europe Direct Information Centre.
Locally, business confidence in the Brexit negotiations has been relatively low, and this lack of confidence has led to nervousness about exporting and importing, both inside and outside of Europe. In addition, businesses have also voiced concern regarding access to skilled and non-skilled workforces after 2019, with their being genuine worry from local EU nationals about their rights post-Brexit. The Europe Direct Information Centre (EDIC) for Staffordshire will help deal with this uncertainty in a positive and proactive manner, providing business support for employers and employees on their citizens rights and the work of the European Commission during the Brexit process.
For more information please call 01782 202222 or click here.
- Published in Finance & Funding
The British Business Bank
The British Business Bank is a Government-owned, independently-run development bank that’s helped more than 126,000 growing businesses find the right finance option to help them reach their next ambition. Their Finance Hub has been built to help businesses understand and discover the finance options that could enable them to grow.
For more information please call 01782 202222 or click here.
- Published in Finance & Funding
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