Applications open for Aston Business School’s free premier business support programme

07 Sep 2020

Limited spaces are available on a fully-funded business support programme for businesses trading in Greater Birmingham & Solihull and Coventry & Warwickshire LEP areas.

Aston Programme for Small Business Growth are helping businesses position for the COVID-19-influenced market by providing a series of webinars taught by experts in SME leadership and management.

Participants will also benefit from one-to-one support from an experienced business mentor as a part of the programme in order to help create a clear action plan for the future.

Business leaders on the programme from across Greater Birmingham & Solihull and Coventry & Warwickshire will have the opportunity to build networks, as well as have the chance to pitch their action plan to external business and finance experts.

The programme, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is delivered by Aston Centre for Growth alongside a range of support offered by Aston University to SMEs focused on survival, resilience, sustainability and growth.

A 2019 industry-standard programme evaluation based on business’s experiences after completing the Aston Programme for Small Business Growth revealed:

• A turnover increase by an average of 38% one year after completing the programme
• 4% of business leaders became more confident in growing their business
• 79% of participants improved their ability to use financial data more in decision making

Business leaders of early-stage SMEs have until September 11th, 2020 to apply for cohort seven of the programme which begins on October 7th.

Current programme participant Sandra Burns, Centric HR, begun to experience the benefits of Aston Programme for Small Business Growth after less than four months of being on the programme.

Sandra said,

“I’m delighted to report that we are on track to hit our annual turnover target of £400k – up from £130k from last year!

“Just listening to my programme mentor, Tim, and bouncing ideas around with him has enabled me to grow my confidence, provide assurance that I’m on the right lines and to take action - especially in relation to finances and cash flow.”

Fellow past participant Laura Barrett, The Malted Waffle Company, praised the programme for its expert guidance in marketing and operations.
Laura said,

“The programme had such a variety of sections which appealed to so many of the areas of growth I needed support for within my business.

“We are now working with more strategic suppliers, increasing our efficiencies to reduce costs and boosting sales thanks to the skills learnt on the course. Even though I have now completed the programme, the support continues.”

Eligibility Criteria:

To be eligible for the Aston Programme for Small Business Growth you need to own a small business or lead a social enterprise and have the desire and drive to grow your business.  The business must:

• Have an operational address in the Coventry and Warwickshire or the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP regions.
• Be trading for at least 12 months and be able to provide evidence of trading revenue
• Have a least one FTE employee (employee can be the business leader)
• Be an SME and meet the De Minimis State Aid criteria (received no more than €200,000 State Aid in the last 3 years)

Contact Aston Centre for Growth on 0121 204 3225 or by email at centreforgrowth@aston.ac.uk to determine eligibility and apply.

Find out more about the programme

Source: birmingham.gov.uk