More than 50 small businesses in the High Peak have benefited from a pilot grant scheme supported by the Borough Council to help fledgling enterprises develop and grow.
Businesses ranging from shops to manufacturing companies and creative industries to the service sector have shared in a pot of £10,000 from the Council towards the cost of professional and business services to enable them to expand and prosper in the future.
The Council joined forces with Business Link East Midlands to run the Business Grants for Professional and Business Services scheme, encouraging existing businesses employing five or less people to apply for a one-off grant of £200.
Grants were offered on a first-come, first served basis to applicants who had sought advice from a Business Link East Midlands business adviser since April, and were so much in demand that all the cash was allocated within three months of the scheme’s launch in August.
“We are committed to doing whatever we can to help local businesses and the High Peak economy stay buoyant, and this pilot project has proved extremely popular with small enterprises keen to both keep and sharpen their competitive edge,” said Councillor Tony Kemp, High Peak Borough Council’s Executive Member for Economic Regeneration.
“The grants are very flexible, and have been used to fund a wide variety of business and professional services – ranging from marketing and website development to drawing up business plans and paying for specific training courses.
“Others have taken advantage of the services of a consultant to help re-focus their business and consider what new directions they should pursue. All the feedback we have had so far has been very positive, and we hope that this innovative scheme will help to sow the seeds for future success – both for the businesses themselves and for the High Peak.”
Carole Greaves, of Hand Dyed by C A Greaves in Tintwistle, has used the grant towards the cost of investing in a website to market her hand dyed natural fibres, sold by the skein, in kits and in original design accessories to customers all over the world.
“I go to a lot of craft fairs all over the country, but there are potential customers who aren’t able to visit these events, so having a website will open up my products to a much wider audience, both at home and abroad,” she said. “The internet is becoming more and more important as a shopping and marketing tool, and I’m hoping that it will make a big difference to my business.”
For Hayfield mum-of-three Joanne Baxter, who launched her fair trade and organic children’s clothing and products company, Little Green Babies last July, securing one of the grants has made the difference between expanding now and waiting another year until she had built up enough resources of her own.
“As a recent start-up, I have to spend quite a lot of money on stock and don’t have spare cash to pay for advertising,” said Joanne, who holds home shopping parties at customers’ homes in the High Peak and Stockport. “Having this grant means that I can advertise on the Mums and Working website for consultants to enable my business to grow faster than it otherwise would have done. It’s a fantastic help.”
Free, impartial advice is available to businesses across the High Peak from Business Link East Midlands advisers at Borough Council offices – for full details, call 0845 058 6644.