Not every businessperson in Sandwell realises that Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council employs Business Engagement Officers – people who are dedicated to giving them a friendly, informative and useful introduction to accessing Council services.
Here are just a few recent achievements of our Business Engagement Team ...
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Sandwell Council and Business Link West Midlands
Sandwell Council’s Business Engagement Team was instrumental in developing a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with Business Link West Midlands, signed by Allison Fraser, CEO of Sandwell Council, and Alison White, CEO of Business Link West Midlands. The signing took place at the finditinsandwell Christmas networking lunch held in December 2008.
The document outlines the roles and responsibilities of both organisations in delivering business-support services to firms within Sandwell.
Business advice and support
Between April 2008 and March 2009 our Business Engagement Team has advised and supported more than 200 local businesses, helping to resolve a variety of issues and ensuring Sandwell businesses are able to access the full range of public and private-sector business-support available locally.
The Sandwell New Business Start-Up Grant
The Sandwell New Business Start-Up Grant was launched in November 2008 and provides a grant up to £1000 for new businesses seeking to start and locate their business in Sandwell.
The grant supports the payment of business rates for the first 12 months, together with the lease/licence of business premises. In addition a one-off payment of £500 is given to new businesses who create additional employment opportunities.
Since its launch, there has been an excellent response to the grant from local entrepreneurs who are keen to locate their business in Sandwell. As a result 31 applications for grants have been approved, as of 31 March 2009.
As a result the Business Engagement Team has been successful in securing funding for the project to continue to 31 March 2010, and is actively seeking grant applications from budding entrepreneurs.
Re-launch of the finditinsandwell Netbus
The finditinsandwell Netbus was re-launched at the finditinsandwell Enterprise & Entrepreneur Event on Wednesday 19 November 2008 and is being used to promote the business and training support available within in Sandwell.
Marketing masterclasses
In November, our Business Engagement Team conducted an online survey among finditinsandwell members, aiming to find out what kind of business support people most wanted from Sandwell Council during the current economic climate.
The results showed that people wanted help in:
* marketing their businesses
* increasing their sales
* making the most of their existing customer base.
We were able to respond with three marketing ‘masterclasses’ in March 2009, which were delivered by Sammy Rose Management Services.
This is just a brief overview of some of the ways the Business Engagement Team can help your business. If you’d like to know more and find out how they could help you and your company, contact Peter Martin on 0121 569 3265 or email peter_martin@sandwell.gov.uk.