Business Start-Up Advice and Support
Learn more about the main organisations out there who can help you to make your small business idea reality.
Getting first-hand advice and guidance from trained professionals can help you test the practicalities of your ideas.
Below are details of some local partners that can help.
Start and Grow Enterprise
Set up to help Gloucestershire Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME's). Start and Grow Enterprise offers training, networking opportunities, and general advice, free of charge. They can help you take the first steps in your business journey, by offering a mixture of valuable experience and feedback on what you're looking to do . Participants can also apply for a £1000 reimbursable grant, to go towards the establishment of the business.
We would highly recommend speaking with their team, regardless of where you are in your business journey.
Prince's Trust
Between the age of 18-30 and considering starting your own business? The Prince’s Trust free enterprise programme comprises a four stage process that takes you from business idea to official launch, with mentors ensuring your proposals will work. Their training and mentoring support to funding and resources can help you in becoming the best entrepreneur you can be.
Also, if you're considering where to start on your business journey, their team also offer a series of free online courses that can be accessed here.
Natwest Business Matters
Most banks that offer accounts for new business start-ups provide, as part of this service, start-up advice and support. Natwest offer a streamlined programme for you to consider how you can take your business ideas forward and make them a reality.
Natwest also offer the Entrepreneur Accelerator programme, three projects all for businesses at different times in their development. The pre-accelerator programme- for new start-ups- is an eight week intensive programme, fully funded by Natwest.
Start-Up Donut
Start-Up Donut offer a broad range of resources for those considering starting up their own business and is the first place to look if you are after inspiration for a new business idea. Their experts regularly release interesting insight and advice to help you in the challenges of everyday business- including marketing, recruitment, tax, and how to plan for and create growth.
Ask Us Business Service
Gloucestershire Libraries are now working in collaboration with the Intellectual Property Offices (IPO) PatLib network to provide local access to patent, trademark, design and copyright information. The service aims to help individuals and businesses understand the importance of Intellectual Property (IP), how to identify the Intellectual Property they might own and how to apply to protect Intellectual Property assets.
The staff at the Patent Library Centre can also provide free business information including targeted mailing lists and company reports from the comprehensive business database Fame, which contains information on both public and private companies across the UK and Ireland.
For more information visit the Ask Us business service webpage.