Business Support The official publication of the Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce ••••
CONTACTS AT THE CHAMBER News desk Members are encouraged to send any news about their firm - new orders, staff, new products, expansions or relocations for publication in C&W in business. Whilst every effort will be made to publish submitted articles, we cannot guarantee inclusion. Send them to: news@cw-chamber.co.uk Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Chamber House Innovation Village Cheetah Road Coventry CV1 2TL T: 024 76 654321 F: 024 76 450242
AT THE PUBLISHERS Publisher Ian Fletcher Benham Publishing Limited Aintree Building, Aintree Way, Aintree Business Park, Liverpool L9 5AQ T: 0151 236 4141 F: 0151 236 0440
Ask for help when starting a business A Nuneaton man who launched a new business to give his family a better life has urged others who are thinking of doing the same to seek support. Joe Foster is celebrating being in the second year of running his own company, EA Digital, which specialises in the installation of TV, telecoms and security within both domestic and business environments. Joe had worked for many years as a satellite TV engineer but decided to go it alone after the birth of his second child and hasn’t looked back. As the business was growing in the local area of Galley Common. Joe decided to increase his business’ potential and received start-up business support, which forms part of the Business Growth Warwickshire programme. The support was delivered by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce on behalf of Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire’s five district and borough councils. The support is part funded by the Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (via Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council), and Warwickshire County Council. EA Digital received free business advice from the Start-up Programme which comprised of regular one-to-one meetings with a business adviser. The bespoke support covered all aspects of business foundations including growth strategies, financial management, and extensive marketing planning.
Joe said: “I just wanted a better life for my family both financially but also being able to work my hours around them so I was keen to get all the support I could. “The company vehicle is now fully branded, I’ve grown our presence on social media and have just launched a new website. “The help has been amazing, and I can’t thank the Chamber and the council enough for giving me this backing.” The business advice gave Joe an insight into how to market and brand his business to increase the growth potential and from there he was able to win further work and focus on his business full-time. He said: “I’m really pleased at how far we’ve come; word-of-mouth was massive for me in the early days and now I’m building on that. I really want the business to grow and, potentially, look at taking on staff of my own in the not-too-distant future.
Despite some natural rivalry between regional areas and networks, local collaboration goes far beyond Chamber members working together, say the pair. While LeaskAS are members of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber, and Tantamount are members of the Solihull Chamber, Julia and Gwyneth both actively participate in other local networking events and business initiatives.
Advertising Contact Karen Hall karen@benhampublishing.com T: 07801 788880 Production Manager Mark Etherington Accounts Director Joanne Casey
© Benham Publishing 2024 C&W in Business is produced on behalf of Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce by Benham Publishing Limited and is distributed to members free of charge. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in C&W in Business, neither Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, nor the publisher can accept responsibility for any omissions or inaccuracies it contains. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Chamber.
•••• 4
Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economy & Place Cllr Martin Watson said: “The Start-Up programme is a perfect example of how collaborative support can work brilliantly to offer businesses exactly the help they need.”
Collaboration and community: connections within the Chamber and beyond
www.benhampublishing.com
2063
Sarah Humphreys, a business adviser at the Chamber, said: “Joe has been brilliant to work with from day one. If I’ve given suggestions or actions, he’s worked on it straight away and has made significant progress in his business growth.”
The Chamber is delivering free-funded business support on all aspects of business, email businesssupport@cw-chamber.co.uk or visit https://www.cw-chamber.co.uk/business-support/business-start-up/
admin@benhampublishing.com
Media Number
“Sarah was a brilliant sounding board and someone I could check-in with if I had an idea and got me to think about where to invest my time and money as the business is growing. I would 100 per cent recommend anyone to make sure they ask for support when they are starting out because it has made a massive difference to me.”
The power of community is the key to success say two business owners who have put cooperation and collaboration firmly on the agenda. The spirit of cooperation is exemplified by the relationship between Chamber members Leask Advisory Solutions (LeaskAS), a dynamic business consultancy owned by Julia Leask, and Tantamount, a creative design studio co-owned by Gwyneth Box. The success of local business goes beyond individual profitability, say Julia and Gwyneth, whose winning collaboration is testament to the value of local businesses working together. Tantamount has played a pivotal role in shaping the visual identities and communications of numerous businesses through its expertise in branding, marketing design, and content creation. LeaskAS, a consultancy providing bespoke strategic
financial planning and forecasting advice and support for small to medium businesses, joined the ranks of Tantamount clients during the pandemic, when Julia decided to undertake a complete rebrand and re-focus of the business’s offering. Since then, the collaboration between Tantamount and LeaskAS – and between Gwyneth and Julia – has continued, not just as a professional partnership, but as a friendship. While both LeaskAS and Tantamount have international clients, Gwyneth underscores the importance of fostering local connections: "A great deal of brand success is due to the creation of community. Unsurprisingly, then, Tantamount believe very strongly in the power of community. And although we often work on a larger geographic stage, we are proud of our local connections and of our contribution to local and regional economic success.”
Providing a space for making connections and for informal conversation between clients, associates and other business colleagues is an important aspect of fostering the success of other businesses, an enterprise that Julia and Gwyneth both take very seriously. “It’s not just about the networks you belong to,” says Julia. “It’s about facilitating networks for others.” Recently, Julia sponsored a table at the prestigious Woman of the Year awards and invited Gwyneth and other guests to join her and her business partner David in the recognition of the achievements of women in business. Julia and David also joined Gwyneth when she hosted a table at the 2023 Innovation Awards in Birmingham, for which Tantamount were among the sponsors. Julia said: "Business is not just about transactions; it's about building lasting connections and maintaining relationships. Our collaboration with Tantamount is a great example of mutual support and of how businesses can thrive when they support each other not only in the boardroom but also when we are having fun at community events."
www.cw-chamber.co.uk
