Support for start-up businesses
The Staffordshire Start-up Programme
Are you ambitious and want to start your own business? The effects of Covid-19 given you that push to take the leap, or nervous that now’s not the time? Look no further for the help you need.
The county council’s new Staffordshire Start-up Programme is a new programme of free advice, mentoring and support to people wanting to set up their own business in Staffordshire.
Aiming to compliment the existing support that’s already out there, this programme specifically focuses on helping new businesses to be robust to any future crisis that may impact on the economy and business. It’s primarily targeted at those who have lost or at risk of losing their job because of Covid-19. It’s also for those who recently set up their own business prior but couldn’t make it work because of the outbreak.
Delivered by experts at the Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce on behalf of the county council, the online sessions can help with:
- Confidence boosting to make the leap to self-employment
- How to select your market, and how to enter it, including international trade
- Drop-in sessions for specific sectors
- How to see the early warning signals of a crisis and how to overcome them
- One to one sessions on specific training needs
If you complete the programme you’ll then be offered follow up support session to access finance and get the know-how on surviving those tricky few years.
How do I access support?
Applications are via the Growth Hub only and place are limited.
Contact the Growth Hub now via email on businessenquiries@stokestaffslep.org.uk or call 0300 111 8002 for a July start.
Other support
If the new programme isn’t for you, further information from business advisors is available to help you access the support you need.
Learning and skills for Staffordshire start-ups
If you are considering how to re-skill, up-skill or acquire new skills to help you with starting your business, then our own community learning service offers a range of courses covering a variety of skills - including marketing, accounting, languages, computing, presentation skills, maths, english, and hundreds more.
In fact there are more than 200 courses avalable, delivered online or in COVID safe community venues across Staffordshire.
Browse all courses currently available on the Staffordshire Community Learning website.