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Starting a new business or social enterprise is challenging. Making the decision to become self-employed ins’t an easy one and we often scare ourselves out of it. With access to the best services, workspace and support, you can ensure that your big idea gets off to the best possible start.

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Join us for one of our upcoming Masterclasses and Webinars! Part of the South East Midlands Start-up Programme (SEMSUP), these sessions have been designed to address common areas of concern within start-up businesses and social enterprises, as well as providing all attendees with networking opportunities.

Our masterclass subjects are;

How to write a business plan;
Your business plan is a mission statement that sets out your vision, structure, methods, and helps you to plan for the future. This three hour masterclass focuses on what should be included in your plan and why, covering areas such as how to fit a marketing  strategy  into your business plan, what  financial details should be included  and how to identify your businesses opportunities.

Marketing;
The single most important thing to do when starting a business is “Find Your Customer”. How do you do that? Effective marketing. This three hour masterclass has been designed to take you step by step through the core elements you need to successfully market your new business.

Become finance ready;
No matter how great a business is, it’s not going to get anywhere without one very important thing; money. This three hour masterclass will focus on what types of funding are available, business planning to secure funding, why you need cash flow forecasts and much more.

Planning for the future of your business;
Starting a business is one thing, but sustaining your business is where most start-up companies struggle; planning is key to making sure your business makes it over the one year hurdle. This master class will focus on organising your business for growth, legal and administrative issues to deal with as you grow, on-going market research, identifying growth opportunities, planning and allocating resources, managing and maintaining customer relations, using targets to implement your business plan and when and how to review your business plan.

These masterclasses will be presented by Paul Smith, one of our most experienced business advisers at the Northamptonshire Growth Hub, and will include practical tips and guidance. They are  delivered as part of the South East Midlands Start-up Programme (SEMSUP). The programme is led by Wenta and delivered in collaboration with its partners University of Northampton and University of Bedfordshire.

Upcoming webinars;

How to measure social impact
This webinar will explore why it is important to be able to demonstrate the social value that your organisation is creating.

Enterprise Strategy and Business Planning
This webinar will guide you through the business planning process. It will make you think about where you want to get to and how you are going to get there.

Creating Awareness – Marketing
This webinar will show you how to increase the effectiveness of your marketing by:
• Identifying your ideal target markets
• Creating a unique value proposition
• Setting marketing objectives
• Testing the effectiveness of your marketing plan
• Identifying the ideal marketing tools to grow your business
• Setting a realistic marketing budget
• Creating marketing strategies that result in long term results.

Developing Trading Activities
This webinar will show you how to:
• Develop new ideas and assess their viability
• Assess the risks involved
• Develop existing products or services
• Segment your clients
• Form partnerships and alliances

Growing and Maintaining a Profitable
Looking to grow your enterprise? This webinar will cover:
• Profit
• How to develop your strategy for growth
• The way to cost and price your products or services
• Why you should segment your clients and use dynamic pricing
• Do’s and Don’ts

How to Find and Tender Contracts
The purpose of this webinar is to show you how to source (public sector) contracts and successfully tender for them. The objectives of this webinar are:
• To explain the procurement, commissioning and tendering process;
• To show you where to look for opportunities;
• To explain how to complete a Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQ), a tender and the evaluation process.

Leadership and Management
What is the difference between leadership and management? This webinar will show you:
• Different types and styles of leadership
• The top tips and tactics of leadership
• The fatal mistake that leaders make
• What makes an effective manager
• The importance of training
• The key to successful management
• The best guide to future performance

Becoming Investment Ready
This webinar will show you how to ensure that you are ready to seek investment. You will learn about:
• CDFIs and ‘Lenders of Last Resort’
• The emergence of the Social Investment Market
• What you need to do to be successful in obtaining investment

To be eligible to attend these workshops and webinars companies must;

  • Be looking to start a business
  • Be a start-up business within Northamptonshire with less than 12 months trading history
  • Be a social enterprise within the South East Midlands
  • Complete a registration form

We hope that you will take this opportunity to join us at some of these exciting events.

If you would like to register for any our masterclasses or find out more information about the South East Midlands Start-up Programme (SEMSUP), contact us on 01604 212696 or email us at: SUP@northamptonshiregrowthhub.co.uk

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