Southern Business Growth Network (SBGN) are launching the Small Business Information Desk in Portsmouth Central Library aimed at providing help and support for people starting a business as well as providing a central point for information for existing businesses. The desk will be manned every Thursday from 10 am – 4 pm for a drop in service and there will be the opportunity to book appointments online.
“We have had a lot of enquiries at our Southampton Business Desk” said David Vane, founder and director of SBGN ”And we are looking forward to meeting people with their ideas and helping them to develop them into successful businesses. We believe that self-employment is a viable option for many people, young and old today.”
The sessions will be called ‘ideas4business’ and SBGN will use their Trusted Partner Network of over 50 SMEs to provide help and advice on topics such as funding, employment, apprenticeships, starting up, scaling up…
SBGN also operate the Small Business Information Desk in Southampton Central Library every Wednesday.
For more information please go to www.sbgn.co.uk or call 07545 982838
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Are you at the start up or scale up stage?
Go to our web site www.sbgn.co.uk
or contact us on 07545 982838
Over the next 12 months, The Start-Up Series competition will search for the brightest entrepreneurs with the smartest ideas to each qualify for one of 12 planned seed investments from a total of £1.8m equity funding…
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Always opt for an email address containing your business name. Having a Yahoo, Hotmail or Gmail business email address will not elicit trust in your organisation. Invest in professional email footers and even adopt a firstname.lastname@ email format, to avoid being a joe@, if customers would expect to deal with more than one Joe within a supplier organisation.
There’s a lot to think about when starting a new business, from where to base yourself, to how to manage cashflow, but one thing all new start-up businesses should focus on is what their target customers think about them and the conclusions they draw from those thoughts.
Having the right trading name is crucial. Using your own name could be a big mistake, instantly identifying you as a sole trader. Select a business name that gives no indication of size, or one that makes you sound bigger than you are. Change your name, if you’ve already made a mistake and it’s not too costly to do. Even a limited company’s name can be changed for under £40, on a same-day online service.
Showcase your business on a brand-building website from day one. Despite 90% of the UK population being active online, 29% of small and mid-sized businesses have no website, no plans to get one and aren’t listed in online directories. Many small businesses are failing to attract customers both on their doorstep and globally. If you don’t have the budget for a website, consider applying for an unsecured business loan such as those available from FSB Cash Advance. Have your website optimised for smartphones and invest not just in design, but also good copy, free from spelling errors and bad grammar.
Throughout the day there’ll be a packed seminar programme giving advice and guidance on a range of topics from advice on careers in popular sectors, CV and interview tips and at 12.30 David Vane will be presenting ” Starting your own business – an alternative to finding a job or unemployment?
If the answer is ‘yes’ then we can help. SBGN is a network of small businesses who have been helping new and existing businesses with help support and advice. Starting your own busienss is becoming a popular alternative to employment or unemployment for people of all ages and it is not a difficult as it may appear.
Lily Arora (Unity 101) and David Vane(
SBGN 