Supporting small businesses
 |
Nine out of ten businesses in the borough have fewer than nine employees. To recognise the vital role these organisations play in our local economy, we will be supporting Small Business Saturday on 6 December 2014.
The initiative aims to support, inspire and promote small businesses on the day, and beyond. If you run a business and would like to get involved, or would just like to support your local businesses, find out how on the Small Business Saturday website or follow @SmallBizSatUK on Twitter.
Business Support Grants
Since April, we have awarded £12,790 to small and businesses and new businesses starting-up to help them develop and grow. Our Business Support Grants of up to £1,000 provide funding for:- new or improved equipment such as machinery, tools or IT
- property improvements
- training and support for business growth.
Accounting4contractors Ltd received grant funding last year. Natasha Baker from the company, said: "The website we've created with this funding has given us the ability to adapt and change our content really easily (without being real techies) so we can make the most of any new marketing ideas, for example around being selected as finalists for SmallBizSat100."
The grants have also helped local job seekers to fund new business ventures so they can move from unemployment to self-employment.
Learn and lunch
Our monthly programme of Learning Lunches, run in partnership with ‘Let's Do Business’, is an opportunity to hear informative presentations on a range of business topics. Up-coming events are ‘Alternative methods of staff recruitment’ on 12 November and ‘Measuring customer satisfaction’ on 10 December. Other popular subjects include: social media skills, website optimisation, presentation skills and converting visitors to customers. They also give you the chance to network with other like-minded business people.
Find out more
For details of up-coming events and to find out about these and our other small business support initiatives visit our website or follow us on Twitter for updates.
Export advice
If you’re looking to break into new markets abroad or expand your current exporting activities, Surrey Chambers of Commerce working with UK Trade and Investment can provide a wealth of advice and support.
They also run drop-in sessions at trading estates around the borough as part of the Export Surrey initiative, in partnership with Surrey Connects.
To find out more visit Surrey Chambers of Commerce website or contact Sarah Butcher, Export Surrey project lead at Surrey Chambers of Commerce on 01483 735540.
|
|
