Do you need help to get your business to grow?
Did you know that more than 240,000 businesses in England use external advice and 94% of those using advice have seen benefit?
If you feel you business could gain from business advice there has never been a better time to reach out.
On Tuesday 26th August Lord Young announced changes to the Growth Vouchers scheme that will mean more businesses will be eligible for this funding opportunity.
Due to the popular nature of the programme, Growth Vouchers will now be available to any business that has fewer than 250 employees, is based in England and has a turnover of less than €50m.
This fantastic development means that more businesses will now have access to £2,000 match funding available to finance strategic business advice.
What type of help do Growth Vouchers cover?
They can be used to obtain strategic advice in one of the following themes:
Who’s eligible to apply?
Your business could be eligible if …
One business that has already realised the benefits of the scheme is the alternative blanket retailer Snuggle Sac.
Speaking about the scheme Tina Goldsmith, owner of Snuggle Sacs said:
“There are many business owners who seem to think that it is a sign of weakness if they don’t know something. But if you get help and advice that boosts your own understanding and skills, that makes you a more creative business owner.”
How do I apply?
Simply log on to www.gov.uk/apply-growth-vouchers and you could have access to this funding within 20 minutes.
The application process is very straightforward and will take as little as five minutes; just make sure you have either your Companies House registration number or Unique Tax Reference to hand.
Once you have your voucher and have taken delivery of the advice you will have one of two payment options to be agreed with the advice provider.
The first option is to pay the provider’s invoice in full and claim back 50% of the costs up to the value of £2,000.
The second option allows you to agree with the provider to pay 50% of their bill and then the provider can claim back 50% of the costs from the government.
In either circumstance the claimed amount will be paid in to the recipient’s bank account within 10 days.
To find out more please contact local advisor Tom Bircham on 07980 216 321.
