Posted on Friday 9th February 2024
Businesses across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent with ten or less employees can apply now for free expert growth guidance through a new support scheme.
Research by the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Growth Hub found that many of the area’s micro-businesses can’t access national programmes designed to help them grow because of the time commitment involved.
Now the Hub’s Achieve and Grow programme, which is being piloted up until the end of March, is offering fully funded, half and full day, one to one sessions with local experts to get the immediate help and support businesses need.
Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills Philip White is urging businesses to apply before the deadline.
Micro-businesses make up a very significant part of our economy – 87 per cent of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent businesses have ten or less employees – so it makes absolute sense to make it as easy as possible for them to easily access the help they need to grow.
Achieve and Grow is built on research showing exactly what micro-businesses need, targeting areas they may be less confident with as they concentrate on the core running of their company.
Local experts are ready and waiting to help with support that fits around the needs of individual businesses – there are no off the shelf generic packages.”
Experts can help with managing people and recruiting, finding investment and funding, business and financial planning, navigating digital marketing and e-commerce and growing in a legal safe way.
Eligible businesses must be based in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, have ten or less employees and have been operated for more than five years,
The deadline to apply is March 20, 2024 through the Achieve and Grow webpage or by emailing Chloe.Kelly@staffordshire.gov.uk