Business Link's Business Growth Service

8/9/2019 Business Link's Business Growth Service

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Business Growth ServiceExpert support for ambitious business leaders



busss Gwh sc s f suppplanning, strategy and nnovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Yor Leaderi, Yor peole and teir sill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

nvetment and finaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Mareting or Grot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

n-det nvironmental sort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

rading road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

“t’ inredile ... noody o ant el it teir ine

an aord to ignore bine Lin.” Will Sneyd, The Zip

for more inormation • visit us at: .inelin.gov./otet

The Business



If you are looking to transform the performance or competitiveness

of your business, or you are considering expansion, then the

bine Grot servie should be an intrinsic part of your plans.

This in-depth service, delivered by dedicated and highly experienced

growth Business Advisers, provides access to a wealth of effective

and relevant business support solutions covering issues such as

innovation, intellectual property rights, trading abroad and developing

entrepreneurial talent – all to give you that extra competitive edge.

pratial, imartial, no-oligation ort or yor ine:• advice from and referrals to an extensive range of industry experts

and knowledge-based organisations (universities and colleges)

• entry to the ‘high growth network’, where innovators and

entrepreneurs share skills, resources and advice

• specialist support to identify funding for development activities

• invitations to regular, quality events specically designed forgrowing and ambitious businesses and led by experts

• access to our specialist Rural Team to help land based businesses

• the option to work with our Environmental Service Team,

to identify environmental improvements that promote growth.

• call us on: 0845 600 9966 • e-mail us at: [email protected].

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Growth Service




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wkInventor Alvin Smith has created an idea that has

become recognised as one of the 15 most important

British inventions of this decade – using a water

pump that can push seawater upwards to

generate electricity with no damaging emissions.

Alvin contacted Business Link for advice and

guidance on how to get his idea to market.As a result, ‘Searaser’ is now attracting interest from a range of power

generating companies, and Alvin is on the verge of running a major

feasibility exercise for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council to assess

its potential as an alternative to a proposed oil-red plant in Dorset.

Alvin Smith, Dartmouth Wave Energy Limited



Maintaining or developing a lead in the marketplace

requires not only innovative thinking, but also innovation

in the working environment.

If you desire to expand your existing business, our advisers

will be able to source the tools to exploit its potential,

from investing in advanced technologies to signicantly

modifying existing products or developing new lines.

If you are developing a new venture, they will ensure

you protect your ideas with intellectual property rights,

prepare the ground for research and development

investment and pave the way to enter new markets.

Planning, Strategy

and Innovation


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“It’s been a tremendous help having someone constantly

on call with advice and guidance on what we could or

should be doing next.”

Alvin Smith, Dartmouth Wave Energy Limited



wkCuddledry offers a unique hooded apron baby towel

allowing parents to lift their baby safely from the bath

with two hands and cuddle them dry. Driven on by the

talents of its people, and with assistance from Business

Link and UK Trade and Investment, their products are

now bestsellers globally. “We’ve attended training

courses, and received telephone, e-mail and face-to-face guidance to assist uswith our leadership and people skills, as well as a great many other aspects of

the business,” says co-founder, Helen Wooldridge. Events that the Cuddledry

team attended have looked at elements focusing on leadership and working

with their team to achieve goals – be those within the marketing strategy,

international business development, sales or day-to-day administration.

Helen Wooldridge and Polly Marsh, Cuddledry


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Your Leadership,

Your People and their Skills

You and your management team will be able to provide

the strategy for growth, but your workforce will need

to implement it effectively, and that will require skill.

The development of your greatest existing resource is

key to the successful delivery of your plans and Business

Link has access to an unsurpassed reservoir of training

programmes, providers and funding sources.

From National Vocational Qualications (NVQs), through

Apprenticeships to specialist skills providers, your

Business Adviser can coordinate development programmes

with local and national training providers that match your

ambitions and deliver the skills your team needs.


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“We have received excellent guidance rom our Business Link

adviser rom the very beginning, and can honestly say we

would never have been ready to get o the starting blocks so

rapidly without that support.” Helen Wooldridge, Cuddledry



wkQuantock micro-brewery, based in Wellington, is looking

forward to a positive future following the award of a loan

which has enabled it to overcome cash ow challenges

that were limiting its growth. “We initially contacted

Business Link for advice on marketing with the aim to

improve our prots, but the Business Link adviser soon

identied the more important cash ow problems, and suggested that we wouldbenet from applying to loan schemes,” says Rob Rainey. The adviser worked

with Quantock in the preparation of nancial models and business plans to

support an application. The application was successful, leading to the award of

a loan that has given Quantock the working capital it needed to move forward.

Cheryl Denise Ford, Robert Rainey & Kenneth Oxley, Quantock Brewery


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Investment and Financing

Any serious plan for growth will require nancing. You may

already be in a position to cover those costs from previous

successes, but, if required, the Growth Service Team willbe able to advise on a range of investment and nancing

options. This can include the most appropriate forms of

nance for you to invest in new technologies, new product

and service developments or upskilling the workforce, as

well as providing routes to larger capital injections, such

as equity investors, venture capitalists and business angelsshould you be planning a major leap in your aspirations.

Your Business Adviser will also keep you up-to-date

with any funding packages available from other partner

organisations that may be suitable for your business

sector or growth plans.


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“Business Link advised and worked with us to secure

a loan which will stimulate our growth potential.

We are now confdent o a very bright uture.”

Robert Rainey, Quantock Brewery





How a business is perceived by its audience, how it behaves

and even its level of success is dependent on its approach to

marketing. Our advisers can help you identify ways to reachnew markets, strengthen your position and maximise sales

potential by exploring new approaches and techniques.

With a strong understanding of market and business trends

they will be able to stimulate you with new ideas and

creative solutions.

Whether starting a new high growth venture or aspiring

to signicantly grow an existing business, your adviser

will work with you from marketing strategy through to

website, communications and beyond, and link you to other

expert marketing support to provide that all-important

competitive advantage.

Marketing for Growth


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“The design project included the re-launch o an

interactive website. The result has been a signifcant

increase in website trafc or enquiries.”

Dr Tim Hamilton, Scientifc Services Limited



wkHelston-based Spiral Construction Limited is the UK

market leader in the manufacture of spiral and helical

staircases. Business Link helped the company recognise

the commercial imperative to act on its environmental

impact, as many customers increasingly demand that

their suppliers have strong environmental credentials.

Through Business Link, Spiral received a ‘diagnostic environmental audit’,which highlighted areas where immediate improvements and cost savings

could be made, including recommendations for more efcient lighting,

heating and cooling systems. Business Link also introduced a company

to help monitor power consumption more closely and is assisting to source

funding for ISO 9001 and 14001 accreditation.

Eric Nicholls, Martin Johnson & Pete Bell, Spiral Construction Limited


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In-depth

Environmental Support


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Our team of Environmental Advisers have successfully

worked with businesses in the region, helping them achieve

greater efciency in production operations, save moneyby reducing energy consumption and reach recognised

industry standards such as ISO 14001; all of which increase

competitiveness when bidding for and winning tenders.

A specialist Environmental Adviser will initially conduct an

in-depth baseline assessment of your business; monitoringand measuring any areas that cost you money. From this,

they will identify and refer you to the most appropriate

partners and suppliers to help you improve in these areas.

Advisers are also able to identify possible funding streams

and discuss, where relevant, the benets of investing in

renewable energy.

“The Business Link advisers oer the ongoing advice

we need to stay on track to meet our goals. Without it,

we would not be nearly as ar advanced.”

Eric Nicholls, Spiral Construction Limited



wkQT Services in Liskeard has a long established

business selling accessories for 4x4 rally vehicles, and now design and build

top of the range competition off-roaders, called the ‘Wildcat’, which is attracting

customers globally. The opportunity presented by the Wildcat meant that the

business needed to approach export more strategically. Managing Director Dave

Marsh said: “The intensive support we are receiving from UKTI, part of a wider

service from Business Link, is enabling us to look at the export opportunity in amore structured way.” Working with UKTI, QT Services has identied potential

markets and is currently carrying out market research and making contacts.

They have also begun the UKTI ‘Passport to Export’ scheme: “This has opened

our eyes to the opportunities and pitfalls of export. It has changed our mindset

and helped us look at our business in a different way.”

Dave Marsh, QT Services


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Trading Abroad


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If your ambitions extend to operating internationally,

then Business Link will provide you with access to the

fundamental skills and knowledge to be able to plan,research and market your business. Your Business Adviser,

in partnership with the global expertise of UK Trade and

Investment (UKTI) will be able to address issues from

export documentation and procedures, through distribution

and transportation to managing the risks.

If you already import or export and see potential in increasing

revenue, your adviser and UKTI will help prepare the way to

expand existing markets. This may be through distributors

and agents, selling directly, entering new territories through

joint trade ventures, PR and promotion, or being introduced

via the Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS).

“Our expert adviser at UKTI has been antastic at helping

us to devise a plan or entering new markets. We regularly

turn to our adviser as a sounding board, and this means

we always have a hand to hold.” Dave Marsh, QT Services



f MM c cLL 0845 600 9966

iit or eite at:

.inelin.gov./otet

-mail at [email protected].

We have ofces throughout Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. In the South West

peninsula the Business Link service is delivered by Peninsula Enterprise.

Business Link is a free and impartial service providing

practical, no-obligation advice. You can access expert

support, and advisers can link you to the very best local

and national expertise. Some elements of the Business

Growth Service may be subject to eligibility criteria.

If you would prefer to receive this information in a large

print size or on audio tape or CD, or in an alternative

language, please contact Business Link.

Documents

Business Link's Business Growth Service