The Enterprise Fund - Exciting Start Up Business Funding!

Here at Enterprise and Business Gateway we help around 2,000 businesses start up each year and support hundreds more who have ambitions to grow. Our services spread over Grampian and Tayside and our business support services have been helping businesses for 25 years.

In our experience, Start up Businesses are faced with many challenges and we encourage a careful and diligent start up approach which includes a recipe of:

1. Time to plan and prepare for the business’s launch including any market research to be undertaken
2. Making use of the professional support available to you at the outset of your business and
3. Start as you mean to go on by establishing your Business as professional from the outset. This means considering how your clients and suppliers will view you, your legal obligations, your business key values and objectives.

Advice, planning, support and training can really make a difference. Many attendees of our Business Support workshops consider them invaluable; however a ‘helping hand’ at the outset in the shape of some seed finance can also be hugely beneficial. Funding can mean, amongst other things:

• Purchase of essential equipment
• The opportunity to advertise and market your business comprehensively from the start
• The purchase of essential stock

Money Money Money...

Enterprise is aware that Funding is not always as readily available for start up businesses and so decided to do something about it!

Enterprise North East Trust partnered with Aberdeen City Council developed the new Fund specifically for Start up Businesses in the Aberdeen City and Shire regions. In June 2013 we launched The Enterprise Fund.

The Enterprise Fund exists to help start up businesses with the need for funding whether they are in the very early months of trading or are in the planning stages before launching and can assist with the provision of up to £250.

There are some criteria to meet, which you can read on our Enterprise Fund Page and you will need to complete an application form, but it really is that easy…

The funding is designed to be used for either:

New Business Creation

When you need the funding for a viable business idea that will start in the next three months and it will be used to get your business off the ground - on such things as equipment, website development and tools for your business.

Or

Early Stage Business Development

When your business is up and running (within the last 6 months) and you need to develop the business further through either marketing and promotional activities, exhibitions, rent or lease of a business property, taking on an employee...

All you really have to do is prove that it is an essential cost to be incurred for the successful development of your business.

What are people saying abut the Enterprise Fund?

Andy Willox OBE, Chair of the South Aberdeenshire branch of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) when asked about the Enterprise Fund said:

"Small businesses are the backbone our local communities and the driver of economic growth both regionally and nationally. Many new businesses have ambitions to grow, but cite access to finance as a major barrier to this.

We welcome the creation of the new Enterprise Fund which will provide much needed support to new businesses across Aberdeen City and Shire and give budding entrepreneurs the chance to become tomorrow’s success stories, realise their personal and business potential and play an integral part in shaping the future growth of the local economy."

Andrew Burnett, Operations Director of Enterprise North East Trust said about the Enterprise Fund:

"Enterprise and Business Gateway meet so many enthusiastic entrepreneurs with plans for starting Businesses and this Enterprise Fund is a fantastic boost over and above the free training and advice we can provide. The first few recipients of Funding from the Enterprise Fund have been most grateful for the extra helping hand, and have used the funding for worthwhile purposes such as essential equipment and tools for marketing and growing their business. We look forward to seeing many more worthwhile applications coming forward and to helping these fledging businesses with guidance, workshops and now funding."

Heather Robertson of Physio Worx was one of the first recipients of The Enterprise Fund. She said:

We heard about the enterprise fund during a Business Start-up workshop run by Business Gateway. This funding has helped a great deal in purchasing an ultrasound machine which has broadened our treatment options available to our patients. I would highly recommend it to other small businesses.  The funding has been very useful and the service and communication of the staff has been very prompt allowing fast progress to be made in the business start up phase.

Linda Smith of DIVINE ‘Hands on Life Coaching’ was another grateful recipient of the Enterprise Fund:

I found out about the Enterprise fund through meeting with a Business Gateway, Business Advisor Gillian, who was very helpful with all the queries I had now that I was ready to go.  The Enterprise Fund will help with purchasing stationary, printer ink, stamps, printing costs and equipment to set me on my way to being a sole trader. I would not have got of the ground with out this help.
I would and will recommend Business Gateway to all small business; they were always encouraging, supportive, explained things when I never understood the jargon. Their expertise and service is second to none.

The Enterprise Fund - Another thing you didn't know about Enterprise and Business Gateway!