The best day to make a change is today. If you’ve ever daydreamed about starting your own business then now could be the perfect time to turn that fantasy into a reality.
There are many reasons that people want to start their own business such as more flexible working hours, greater control or simply to do something that they’re passionate about. Whatever the reason there are plenty of people doing it so why not join them?
It might be a little daunting but the good news is that there are people who can help. At the Growth Hub we have a team of specialist advisers who can support you with a range of topics from business planning and market research to how to develop a website that’ll help you stand out from the crowd.
Our Ready2Grow project has been specifically set up to help Northamptonshire’s entrepreneurs to take that first step towards starting out. Project participants will be provided with a series of free workshops and 1-2-1 adviser sessions.
The workshop programme covers a variety of topics such as:
Business Planning
This session follows on from the Self-Employment: Is It for Me? Workshop. We begin by covering quick tips when writing a business plan and provide a Business Plan template designed to draft and develop the business in writing. We go into more detail on the sections of a business plan (Business Description, Objectives, Business Idea, Organisation & Structure, Marketing & Sales and Finance).
Finance for Start Up
This 3 hours workshop takes you through the financial tools for a new business. Looking at pricing, budgeting, calculating break even points and how to develop a 12 month cash flow. The workshop will also explore some of the barriers and opportunities new businesses face when looking for finance.
Introduction to Social Media for Business
This workshop is 1 of our 2 digital themed sessions, we look at a number of different platforms and briefly what they do, how they work and the difference between using each platform on a personal and professional level. The aim of this workshop is to get the audience thinking about their social media marketing strategy, we introduce the concept of analytics behind most platforms, SEO and how you should use this to refine and improve your social media activity.
Introduction to Effective Websites for Business
In this workshop we look at how websites are effective/wide reaching tools for promotion, 24/7 shop window, using websites for e-commerce, promoting events/activities, educational and information sharing, registering a domain name and hosting information. We look at both DIY and using a website designer, the site layout, how to produce good quality copy, general best practise and cyber security.
If you’re ready to live the dream, contact us now.
The Ready2Grow project is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and is delivered in Northamptonshire by the Growth Hub, the University of Northampton and Northamptonshire County Council.
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