High Growth

"Here to help you achieve your high-growth business potential"

Organisation:

Completion Date: 10/05/2004

Location

Leicester and Leicestershire regardless of geographical location

Project Description

Business link is delighted to provide SME's high quality business advice to diversify the Leicestershire economy and to build a reputation for Leicestershire as a location with excellent high-growth support and mentoring. We look forward to helping you acheive your high-growth potential.
Eric Carveth

BACK GROUND
The High-growth Support project will be delivered to all start-up SME’s within Leicester and Leicestershire regardless of geographical location.
Over the last 4 years Business Link for Leicestershire has been providing support for potential high-growth businesses. In the past, this programme was funded as a pilot project by the Small Business Service (SBS) and was well received by SME’s.

BARRIERS
Since April 2003, no SBS funding has been available to continue this type of activity. During 2003/04, Business Link funded continuing support for existing businesses through re-allocation of our core budget, however due to SBS budget reductions and a re-allocation of internal resource, no funding is available for future years. Consequently, without funding there will be no provision for high-growth businesses in Leicester and Leicestershire.

SOLUTIONS
Through the project, Business Link (BL) propose to employ a high-growth programme officer (1/3 of a full time equivalent located in BL Leicester) who will be able to build upon the foundations laid during our previous high-growth programme and identify companies that have growth potential.

SUPPORT
The advisor contract out key elements of delivery in order to provide outreach mentor support and ensure that successful contractors develop a unique programme of support in terms of mentoring/workshop delivery etc. The advisor will develop a specific package of support for each SME suitable to the needs of that particular business.

Key delivery elements for the 1/3 High Growth adviser post and the successful contractor will be based around:

• One to one advisor mentoring session
• Identify and deliver specific workshop on common concerns
• Advice around the following key themes
• Develop Management Skills
• Business Planing
• HR
• Inland Revenue/Tax
• Marketing
• IT
• Managing Work Life Balance
• Patent Law
• Finance & Legal Requirements
• Management of revenue grants to the value of £1,500 per SME on the development of new products and consultancy for 25 SME’s.

Outcomes

STRATEGIC OBECTIVES

• To increase the numbers of High-Growth Companies
• To increase employment
• To build a reputation for Leicestershire as a location with excellent high-growth support
• To encourage businesses to “think high-growth”
• To reduce the numbers of businesses that fail
• To diversify the Leicestershire economy

DELIVERY OBJECTIVES

• To recruit a high-growth project advisor
• To increase inter-action with high-growth businesses
• To create more high-growth businesses in Leicestershire
• To design a package of support specific to our target group

Project Contacts

Project manager:
Eric Carveth
Tel: 0116 255 9944
E-mail: Eric.carveth@blleics.co.uk
Website: www.blleics.co.uk

LSEP contact:
Niloofar Sarkari
Tel: 0116 257 5678
E-mail: niloofars@lsep.co.uk
Website: www.lsep.co.uk