As we move ever closer to the end of another year, are you on track to achieve your business goals for 2016?
If the answer is no, then you may be interested to know that the government has relaunched its latest initiative to support small firms by offering subsidised business support in the form of Growth Vouchers.
What exactly are Growth Vouchers?
Growth Vouchers are a financial support programme for Lancashire-based businesses and are administered by Boost – Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub. The overall aim of the programme is to support the growth of Lancashire businesses and unlock barriers to growth by bringing in private sector expertise.
Is my business eligible?
To be eligible for funded support from the Growth Voucher programme, your business must be looking to improve and grow, and fit the following criteria:
- Be a Lancashire-based business registered in the UK and based in England
- Employ fewer than 250 full-time employees
- Have a turnover of less than £40 million
As the programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, you must not be a retailer or a business-to-consumer focused organisation.
What can the funding be used for?
The funding can be used for the following business to business requirements:
- Production of a marketing campaign or branding
- Paying for specialist technical expertise, such as sales or marketing consultancy
- Development of a website or re-development of a website with additional functionality
As a specialist strategic marketing consultant, not only can I support your business with the above but I can develop a strategic approach to all facets of your promotional activity, including:
- Graphic design,
- Web design & Development
- App Development
- Search engine optimisation,
- Pay Per Click
- Social Media
- Email marketing
- Signage and
- Exhibitions
How much funding am I entitled to?
All growth vouchers need to be match funded, i.e. the business must match the contribution by the voucher. So, for example, if you had a project you needed doing costing £5,000, it would cost you £2,500 or a project for £3,000, it would cost £1,500.
The minimum voucher value available is £1,000 (for a project with a total value of £2,000) and the maximum voucher available is £2,500 (for a project with a total value of £5,000)
How does it work?
To access the funding a brief needs to be written with a Growth Funding Advisor, who will who will carry out a diagnostic with you.
Once the brief is signed off, three suppliers must provide a quote for the work. You select which supplier you want to use and the application is then put before a panel for acceptance or rejection. A successful application is more likely if its aimed at increase in growth, jobs and turnover or investment.
If your application is successful, you will then receive an agreement to sign and the work can commence. You pay in full for the project once it is complete and you will then be reimbursed for the growth voucher value once you have provided evidence of completion and the impact that the work has had on your business.
How long will it take to find out if my application has been successful?
It will take approximately six weeks from start to finish before you will find out if your application has been successful.
Why choose Simon Cocker Marketing Consultant?
As a business growth consultant and coach, I can help your company thrive. I am a successful growth coach and I have already helped hundreds of businesses across Lancashire and Manchester to access funding and grow over the last few years.
I carry out my consultancy and coaching work across the whole of the North-West region including Manchester, Preston, Lancaster, Blackpool, Bolton and Blackburn. For more information about how your business could benefit from Growth Vouchers, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Call me on 07966 396 306 or email me at simon@marketingconsultantmanchester.co.uk.
At the present time, there are only 300 applications available so if you do want to benefit from this funding then you’ll need to move quickly!