29 minute read
BUSINESS SUPPORT
planningGrowth
Over the following 16 pages, we highlight some of the leading business support services and organisations that can help move your business forward.
Tackling the jobs market is no easy feat – no matter which side you’re on. Whether you’re going through the recruitment process as a candidate, or you’re a business looking for that perfect match, it can be a difficult industry to navigate on your own.
And that’s where working with a recruitment consultancy that really knows its stuff can make the world of difference. Having someone in your corner who can give you that support to make the right decisions can provide the confidence you need to step in the right direction.
TALENTTIDE:
SUPPORTING BUSINESSES - AND COMMUNITIES - IN CORNWALL
Today, our team of experts here at TalentTide offer an innovative and market-leading service to professional sectors (such as finance, technology and people management), to help businesses exceed their goals and take things to the next level.
But our job doesn’t stop when we get candidates into the hot seat – we’re there, quite literally, every step of the way for both our recruiters and our candidates. Even beyond the recruitment stage, we’re on hand to make sure our clients feel supported as they take on a new adventure.
Why? Because, for us, it’s simple. It’s about helping businesses build retention and relationships, so they can tackle their targets with confidence.
MORE THAN A BUSINESS
But what truly makes TalentTide stand out from the crowd in Cornwall? Well, we’re not just committed to the people who walk through our doors – we’re also committed to supporting the local economy as a whole, with our income generation going back into the Cornish community.
Through local businesses, projects and investment, we bring more money to Cornwall (and keep it here).
Want to work with the TalentTide team? Call 01872 322823 or email info@talent-tide.co.uk to get started.
FUTURE-PROOF YOUR BUSINESS
Now more than ever it’s essential that businesses have the tools they need to overcome challenges and identify new opportunities to ensure future success.
Oxford Innovation Cornwall provides tailored business support and coaching for high growth businesses and ambitious startups in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The programme provides business owners with access to a highly experienced team of business coaches, who cover all areas of business including marketing, productivity, strategic planning, finance and leadership.
As well as specialist one-to-one support, the team are delivering a series of new interactive workshops this autumn to help businesses become more resilient and achieve their growth ambitions. These bitesize sessions will focus on marketing channels, content marketing, social media marketing, managing and leading your business in an inflationary economy, managing business finance and strategic planning.
Designed and delivered by Oxford Innovation Advice, the programme is fully funded by the European Regional Development Fund so it is available at no cost to qualifying businesses.
With over 30 years of experience in helping SMEs grow, Oxford Innovation Advice has been delivering successful business coaching programmes in Cornwall since 2009 and has supported over 5,400 businesses across the county.
Gendall Design is just one local business the team has supported. A spokesperson for the company explains: “I can’t speak highly enough about Oxford Innovation Cornwall. Our lead coach both challenges and pushes. I feel like we are working towards something. He’s not giving us the answers, but he’s constantly pushing and helping drive that forward, which is brilliant.”
Find out more about the programme and meet the coaches at one of the free introductory sessions. Register now by visiting www.oxfordinnovationcornwall.co.uk or call 01872 300116.
Skills Boosting your
We have spoken about this many times previously, the benefits of skills development and training remain profoundly valuable to any business. It’s a drum that we’re very happy to continue beating, as it is something that the Skills Hub believes in deeply.
Whether your business is big or small, to excel or to simply adapt to working in a post-COVID world, the management of a business’s human capital must be looked upon with the same rigour as its financial capital.
Up-skilling, re-skilling, training, learning and development; call it what you will but investing in your team should be seen as a responsibility held by both employer and employee. The latest data shows that close to two-thirds of respondents from GetSmarter’s The Future of Work Is Here report agree that upskilling or reskilling is the joint responsibility of the business and the employee.
In addition, a study from the Harvard Business Review showed that 97 percent of employees surveyed would learn new skills if given the opportunity to do so. If the hunger amongst your staff to better themselves – and ultimately your business – is there, it’s time to feed it.
The Skills Hub can help do that, and more.
Good things come in threes so here are a few key tips as to why you should be investing in your team via skills development.
BENEFITTING YOUR BOTTOM LINE
It remains incredibly difficult to argue against the fact effective skills development will lead to financial benefits for your business. The financial benefits of staff training have been proven throughout years of business studies and through observation of how workplaces function.
What happens when your staff undertake training to improve their skillset? Your team will become driven to do more for your business, rewarding the faith you have shown in them. Through effective training, there will be less waste, and fewer mistakes are made. And, through that investment and good faith shown, you will see less employee turnover.
As we find ourselves amidst the Great Reshuffle — as employees explore new opportunities left, right and centre – shore up your bottom line by investing in your workforce.
SOFTER SKILLS FOR THE WORKFORCE OF TOMORROW PRODUCTIVITY
All employees should be provided with the motivation, the opportunity and the means to explore and supplement their existing expertise.
Many businesses think of the word ‘training’ and automatically associate this with improving what we might best describe as ‘harder’ skills. Moving forward it will be softer skills such as empathy, creativity and emotional intelligence that will help people effectively adapt to our now many varied ways of working. With the cost of doing business continuing to increase, accelerating productivity is something that many decision makers have front of mind. According to McKinsey and Company, an investment in skills development and training will yield an uplift in productivity levels to somewhere between 6 and
Increasing 12 percent. productivity is on As we enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the tip of many a the continued integration of new technologies into business’s tongue our working ways of life happens at pace, increasing productivity is on the tip of many a business’s tongue.
With the world constantly changing, workplaces and employees must demonstrate both adaptability and the want to actively learn in order to succeed.
According to a recent LinkedIn survey looking at learning and development, 74 percent of those leaders surveyed said that skills development has become a more strategic function at their organisation.
What are you waiting for? Make it part of yours today. With the idea of the traditional 9-5 thrown out the window, and hybrid working now the norm for many, there are a few simple things you can do to keep productivity levels high. Here are just two: firstly, it is now the time to begin taking advantage of the plethora of affordable and simple tools on the market to automate many of your daily tasks. And secondly, start scheduling shorter meetings. How often do we find ourselves in a one-hour long meeting, knowing that it could have been completed in just 15 or 30 minutes?
Contact the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Skills Hub; the independent and impartial specialists when it comes to all things skills, training and workforce development. We can equip you and your team with the skills needed to ensure that you’re ready to tackle whatever comes next.
Want to hear more about productivity, and boosting your skills to be equipped for the future of work? Join the Skills Hub on September 8 for an event looking at that, and more! To find out more visit www.ciosskillshub.com
There are very significant changes on the horizon for the majority of limited companies, vastly increasing the amount of sensitive information available to the public at Companies House.
Currently small companies (companies meeting two of: less than £10.2m annual turnover, £5.1m balance sheet value, and less than 50 employees) can take advantage of the ability to file filleted or abridged accounts – which reduces the detail in the accounts filed at Companies House by removing certain elements.
One of the main elements being the profit and loss account. Many would think of a
CHANGES AT COMPANIES HOUSE
WRITTEN BY JOSH STEVENS, NEW PARTNER AT RRL
company’s profit and loss information as being sensitive information. However, under these changes this information will now be publicly available.
A planned overhaul of filing requirements at Companies House, with a view to increasing transparency in annual filings, means that options to file shortened forms of accounts will no longer be available and all companies will have to file a profit and loss account as well as a balance sheet.
Micro-entities (meeting two of: less than £632k annual turnover, £316k balance sheet value, and less than 10 employees) will retain the exemption from filing a directors’ report, but small companies now have to file one.
Many shareholders in limited companies have historically relied on the ability to file reduced information at Companies House. These changes have largely gone unnoticed, however, they are sizeable and will impact a huge number of businesses structured as limited companies.
For some, these changes will impact whether shareholders want to continue trading as a limited company and be a further consideration for those that are considering trading as a limited company.
Whilst there is no confirmed date for the introduction of these changes and it could be some time until these measures are introduced, we would encourage company directors and shareholders to discuss any potential implications with their accountant.
RRL | Truro 01872 276116, Penzance 01736 339322 | post@rrlcornwall.co.uk | www.rrlcornwall.co.uk
ACCESS TO FINANCE
FULLY FUNDED BUSINESS SUPPORT THAT ACHIEVES TANGIBLE RESULTS
Does your business need help with a finance-related challenge or opportunity? The Access to Finance programme provides free and impartial support on all aspects of business finance for eligible small and medium sized businesses. The team of experienced business finance specialists can help with everything from writing a business plan and financial forecasting to identifying and applying for the right funding for your needs (eg grants, loans, equity, crowdfunding, debt funding, asset finance).
As well as one-to-one tailored support to help established businesses achieve their ambitions, the team also delivers interactive workshops to provide start-ups with the practical knowledge and skills they need to build a robust financial model. An online video based-learning platform also provides 24/7 interactive content to support businesses. Designed and delivered by Oxford Innovation Advice, the programme is fully-funded by the European Regional Development Fund so there is no cost to the business. The programme has supported over 2,380 businesses across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, helping local businesses raise over £36 million in the last five years.
KCS Print in Launceston is just one of the businesses supported by the team. The family-run manufacturer of high-quality integrated label forms successfully secured a series of grants to aid expansion after receiving one-to-one support.
Zoe Deadman, MD of KCS Print, says: “Access to Finance provides a really personalised service. It is like having an in-house expert in your business. As an SME, we don’t have time to waste so any investment has to make a tangible difference. Access to Finance has probably been the easiest and most directly beneficial business support I’ve received in the last five years.”
Funded by: Designed and delivered by:
For more information on Access to Finance, visit www.a2fcornwall.co.uk or call 01872 300386.
MORE CORNWALL INNOVATION CENTRE SUCCESS STORIES
IAIN BRUNT, FOUNDER OF AEGIS AND THE TECH PLATFORM CALLED ARRIVET (PHOTO BY: TOBY WELLER)
Aegis Veterinary Technology recently moved to Pool Innovation Centre from the Health and Wellbeing Innovation Centre at Treliske. The company, founded by Iain Brunt, offers tech solutions to the large animal veterinary sector.
Aegis has developed a platform called ArriVet which provides accurate, artificial intelligence-enabled location information to keep clients up to date on where their vet is and when they will arrive.
Iain said business was going well and Pool Innovation Centre was a great base for a new firm.
“It works for businesses that are at the stage where they’re looking to grow,” said Iain. “The centre is a nice place to work and there are lots of people there who share the same ideals.
“I’ve been to a couple of networking events recently that were really useful. I think there’s that feeling now that we want to get back into meeting and networking. People seem quite keen to do all of that here.”
See aegis.vet; https://www.arrivet.app/
gainsOffice
Cornwall Innovation Centres are busier than ever as companies opt for a different model of working following the pandemic.
The shockwaves from successive pandemic lockdowns and the use of Teams and Zoom meetings has led some to question whether we’d ever go back to the office. However, for Cornwall Innovation Centres the opposite has been the case with occupancy ahead of pre-pandemic levels across all three centres at Treliske, Penryn and Pool, as start-ups and established local firms move to join these vibrant business communities. Cornwall Innovation Centres have always been much more than managed workspaces and their success in nurturing entrepreneurship, inspiration and business growth is the result of providing a dynamic environment, promoting collaboration between firms and offering business support and advice. The centres are now home to a diverse range of 163 companies, embracing technology, creative media, environmental, wellbeing and many other sectors. It’s not just about workspace though. A rise
in demand for in-person training, networking and workshops has also seen the use of meeting and event rooms across all three centres increase. Matt Harrington, head of Cornwall Innovation Centres for the University of Plymouth, which manages the centres on behalf of Cornwall Council, said: “After two years of uncertainty Existing customers and upheaval caused by the pandemic, the thriving and opportunity for teams and businesses to come new businesses together in a high-quality work environment to arriving share ideas and meet like-minded people, has proved a real draw. “There’s no doubt the pandemic has changed working practices and introduced more flexibility but it has also showed us the value of collaborative working and of having the ability to separate home and work environments. It is fantastic to see that the centres are as busy as ever and to see our existing customers thriving and new
businesses arriving to become part of our business community.”
Cornwall Innovation Centres consist of three sites: Pool Innovation Centre, Tremough Innovation Centre at Penryn and the Health and Wellbeing Innovation Centre at Treliske.
The Tremough Innovation Centre and the Health and Wellbeing Innovation Centre are now both running at 100% occupancy, while Pool Innovation Centre is 85% full.
Some of the businesses based at the centres are lockdown start-ups, and the centres have seen a rise in businesses like these moving into professional settings as they become more successful and begin to grow.
Matt Harrington added that Cornwall Innovation Centres’ team were keen to help all businesses develop, whether one person start-ups or firms employing teams of 20 or more.
He said: “Despite rising costs and at a time when businesses have struggled, the centres have continued to provide a fair and affordable offering to help support our customers.
“We know that the entrepreneurs and business owners who choose to base themselves here have the potential to grow and provide new jobs for Cornwall. As part of our role, we encourage businesses to reach their potential by providing support and advise on a range of topics, such as technical help, grant and funding information, as well as helping businesses to connect with each other.” Research shows about half of Cornwall Innovation Centre businesses have collaborated at some time. This joint working often happens in the same building or across the three sites. The other key appeal is that businesses are not tied down to long-term tenancies and can move between the centres and beyond as they grow.
Michele Ferron is the founder and owner of Once Upon a Tuesday, which sells modern calendars and planners for people who love design. Michele began her business at home during lockdown before moving into Tremough Innovation Centre and this year was one of five firms based across the three centres which achieved shortlisting in the Cornwall Business Awards.
Michele said: “For a small, growing business like ours, Tremough Innovation Centre has been instrumental to our growth.
“It has made the journey from a home office to a professional workspace very easy. The team here are incredibly helpful, the networking opportunities are plentiful, and the space itself is perfectly comfortable to work at.”
ONCE UPON A TUESDAY FOUNDER MICHELE FERRON
MORE CORNWALL INNOVATION CENTRE SUCCESS STORIES
CORNISH LITHIUM’S LOGISTICS MANAGER NATHAN RUSDEN
Cornish Lithium is a highly innovative mineral exploration and development company focused on the environmentally sustainable extraction of lithium from geothermal waters and hard rock in the historic mining district of Cornwall. The company is headquartered in the Tremough Innovation Centre.
Logistics Manager Nathan Rusden said he enjoyed working in such a prime location.
He said: “I enjoy working at the Tremough Innovation Centre because you feel really connected with Falmouth, Penryn and the area’s natural beauty. The Centre itself has a real community feel to it, nestled within the university campus with its lovely environment of learning and positivity.
“The Tremough Innovation Centre has great modern facilities too with a fantastic mix of Cornish companies at the cuttingedge of development and technology.”
For more information on the range of services available to help your business, visit www.cornwallinnovation.co.uk
PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST
CORNWALL-BASED EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING PROJECT PEOPLE HUB IS HELPING LOCAL PEOPLE TO RETRAIN AND UPSKILL TO SUPPORT THEM IN THEIR CAREER OBJECTIVES.
Since the advent of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, workplaces across the globe have undergone massive upheaval, with workers experiencing job insecurity and having to navigate the seismic changes to traditional workplace practices as a result. offering people the opportunity to develop their skills, without having to be concerned about funding it themselves, means they will be able to boost their chances of stable employment during times of uncertainty.
With the rise of energy prices and the current cost of living crisis, people are facing an uncertain future, with many feeling the financial strain caused by these issues, facing redundancy, or feeling the need to switch careers after many years in their chosen sector.
Through funding received from the European Social Fund, People Hub has recently launched its Skills for Growth Programme, a fully-funded scheme that offers a wide variety of learning and personal development courses to give Cornish residents the opportunity to develop their existing skills, to learn new ones, and to improve their prospects. People Hub understands that we are currently living in a period of unusual difficulty - knowing this, While the Skills for Growth programme offers tangible benefits for career development, it also offers attendees the opportunity to boost their confidence and self-esteem, further enhancing their likelihood of career progression, and giving them the ability to join sectors that they might otherwise not have considered prior to training.
The Skills for Growth programme offers training and development in multiple areas and sectors, including Tourism, Retail, Health and Education, and Construction. These fully-funded courses are also suitable for those who are employed but aiming to climb the career ladder, with classes focused on Leadership and Management training, Mediation Skills, Project Management and more. There is a great deal of helpful training and support on hand for those who find themselves facing redundancy or who wish to move to a different field of work entirely due to the possibility of redundancies in their sector. Offering meaningful, accredited qualifications in growing and popular fields, the Skills for Growth programme provides hope in continuously changing times and is bolstered by tailored one-to-one support from People Hub’s friendly, dedicated team of Connectors. Participants will benefit from a Career Development Plan and be offered assistance throughout the entire process, from entering the Skills for Growth programme, to completion and the next steps into a new, exciting career.
Whether that career is something a person has prior experience of, and they want to upskill, or something they’ve never tried before but are keen to retrain in, the People Hub Connectors will be there throughout their journey to point them in the right direction and ensure that the career ladder they’ve chosen is one they actually want to climb. People Hub is committed to ensuring that the Skills for Growth programme benefits attendees both long and shortterm, giving them the qualifications and abilities they need to move towards a role that will lessen their financial concerns and guarantee job satisfaction.
If you have recently been made redundant, are currently out of work, or are employed and looking to progress, get in touch with the team at People Hub to discuss your options and which courses are available to you and would best suit your needs and long-term career goals. Whether you plan on upskilling, retraining or simply building on the skills you already have, People Hub are here to help you attain the accredited qualifications that could change your life.
Contact People Hub today at peoplehub.info, call 0333 015 0699 or email hello@peoplehub.info to find out more about the help and support on offer.
PotentialUnlocking 20 years in cornwall, helping people develop and businesses grow
The introduction of the Euro, the Golden Jubilee, the first camera phone, the Cornish language officially recognised by Government: a lot happened in 2002. Joining this line up of seminal moments was the introduction of a new business support project called Unlocking Cornish Potential.
In the intervening 20 years, Unlocking Potential has been at the forefront of delivering support services to thousands of businesses and individuals in Cornwall and the wider South West, building stronger more successful businesses, supporting a vibrant economy and creating thousands of graduate jobs. Like the businesses they support, Unlocking Potential hasn’t stood still. Listening carefully to what businesses need, looking hard at the market, and equally hard at themselves, to make sure their services continue to make the same kind of difference it’s always made.
Today Unlocking Potential are still pioneering business growth through three European Regional Development Funded programmes, helping early stage businesses get established, working with more established businesses to focus on innovation, and helping all businesses with the vital, but tricky, process of digital transformation.
BREAKTHROUGH TURNS START-UPS INTO SUSTAINABLE, VIABLE BUSINESSES
There’s no single route a young business takes once it’s started, and the path to business success is rarely without some bumps and a few detours. But having joined thousands of young businesses on their journey, Breakthrough can help with the many early stage challenges they encounter and build up the confidence each owner needs to thrive.
Even more than that, Breakthrough’s team of experts help business owners set their
goals (and create the roadmap to achieve them) by digging into each entrepreneurs ambitions, skills, customers and resources.
So many new-business owners benefit from Breakthrough’s highenergy and high-impact programme: from knowledge and support to honing ideas and clarifying thinking.
Although nothing in business is certain, having friendly experts to help you analyse your business, customers, products, marketing and planning will maximise your chances of a long and successful journey.
FUTURE FOCUS HORIZON SCANNING TO IMAGINE A BUSINESS’S FUTURE
All of Unlocking Potential’s programmes prioritise planning: central to our support is the opportunity we give business-owners large and small to pause, analyse, audit performance, gain distance from the day-to-day, and cast their minds forwards, horizon scanning to imagine their business’s future. Uber Trips take to the road, with business owners visiting world-class companies to learn from some of the best. Cornwall’s high growth tech sector is Digital Transformation’s client xigxag, who have recently been ranked in the top ten of the UK’s tech start-ups by Tech Nation.
Unlocking Potential has been pioneering this kind of business foresight for many years, through the Future Focus programme. The programme underlines the lead we’re taking on embedding innovation in the businesses we work with, to prepare them for the future and help them stay ahead of the pack. Partnering with the University of Exeter for this programme brings a wealth of expertise, from right here in Cornwall.
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION SUPPORTING CORNWALL’S TECH SECTOR BOOM
Coupled with this, Future Focus expands its horizon further afield; bringing some of the business world’s ‘rockstar’ keynote speakers (past rockstars have included Paul Lindley from Ella’s Kitchen, Dan Germain from Innocent and Holly Tucker from notonthehighstreet.com) to Cornwall to share inspiration and first-hand wisdom in the do’s and don’ts of innovating, how to spot a trend, to disrupt the norm, and adopt new thinking to what’s coming round the corner. Those of us lucky enough to work with Cornish businesses have known for a while that change is in the air: businesses anticipating, disrupting and adapting, businesses moving away from old models, using next-level technology, organising themselves differently.
A wealth of We’ve seen this ourselves and encountered it in our expertise, from programmes, not least Digital Transformation. right here in Now, thanks to a major report by
Cornwall Tech Southwest, we know this amounts to more than anecdotes. The boom in the tech sector – in the south-west generally, but Cornwall in particular – is a matter of statistical fact. One such company who are reflecting
Our expert-led Innovation & Future planning workshops help businesses innovate and grow by developing a really clear direction and action plan. Labs bring recognised experts together with small groups of business leaders to explore cutting-edge topics and Digital Transformation (with it’s home at the FibreHub, Pool) work with non-digital as well as digital businesses supporting them on their journey to become digital-first businesses.
By making meaningful connections, Digital Transformation ensures businesses in need of particular digital solutions are – thanks to the knowledge of the Digital Innovators – supported to work out where they’re up to, digitally, and what the viable options are to enable, develop and test new ideas.
After 20 years supporting businesses in Cornwall we’ve seen some major changes in the world around us, and our services have evolved in response. However, the way we work has not – putting your business, your ambitions and your needs at the heart of everything we do. We unlock potential, let us help release yours.
Find out more about Unlocking Potential by visiting www.unlocking-potential.co.uk and www.digital-cornwall.co.uk
legacyA lasting
When Outset Cornwall first launched back in 2009, its mission was simple; to help and support people living in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to register as selfemployed or start their own business.
Set up at a time when the UK was heading into a recession and economic uncertainty was rife, Outset offered a positive solution to many people who were being underrepresented and excluded from mainstream support.
Fast-forward to today, and although the causes may be vastly different, the situation is largely the same; the UK still faces economic and political uncertainty, as a result of the long-term effects of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbated by growing fears over the current cost of living crisis. Mainstream support is more widely available, but not much of it focuses on supporting underrepresented groups in enterprise or enjoys the same legacy and reputation as Outset Cornwall.
Now a multi-award-winning programme, recognised both nationally and in Europe, during the last 13 years Outset Cornwall has provided a social, financial and economic return of over £27 million for the Cornish economy, helping over 2,500 people explore self-employment and more than 940 businesses get up and running, creating over 1,100 jobs.
In virtually every industry sector in the county it’s likely you’ll come across a business that has been supported by Outset Cornwall.
OUTSET CORNWALL TEAM
Ever tried the delicious cinnamon buns or hot almond croissants from Da Bara Bakery? Ben Hawkins first contacted Outset in 2011, looking for help with starting a business. Twelve years on, his business is still going strong, with two bakeries supplying awardwinning baked goods to wholesale customers across Cornwall, plus a café on The Roseland near Truro and, as a result of the pandemic, a flourishing online shop offering fresh bread, sweet treats and more.
In the business world, Outset has supported many clients offering business to business and professional services.
Take Sekoya Specialist Employment Services; founder Donna Negus approached Outset with her business idea back in 2010, because despite being excellent at HR and
DONNA NEGUS FROM SEKOYA AT OUTSET 10 YEAR CELEBRATION EVENT
employment law, she felt she lacked the technical knowledge and skills she needed to successfully run a business. Thanks to Outset’s support back then, Donna’s business continues to grow and go from strength to strength twelve years later; she now employs a team of seven, works for clients both nationally and internationally, and has several multi-million-pound contracts under her belt.
So there’s no denying the immense impact the project has had, and continues to have, as more people sign up to the programme to turn their dream of running their own business into a reality.
“Outset has always been unique; we offer individuals the opportunity to explore different business ideas and see whether their skills and expertise make them suitable to run their own business, thereby building the person as well as their idea,” says Lee Hughes, deputy CEO of Outset Cornwall’s parent company, YTKO Ltd.
“While we’ve continued to support underrepresented groups as we’ve always done, this time our remit has extended to those even further removed from the job market, through our additional Focus project strand, which targets specific geographic areas of the county.
“As a result, we have even more capacity to “focus” on the person and their personal development. By building their confidence, and growing and developing their knowledge and skills, our whole programme helps break down the often-self-perceived barriers that are stopping them from retraining, getting back to work or starting a business.”
Covering the whole county, including the Isles of Scilly, the Outset Cornwall programme continues to help people retrain, return to work or start their own business, but, as with all European-funded projects, Outset is coming to an end.
“When we relaunched in January 2020, the words “pandemic” and “lockdown” hadn’t become part of our everyday language! But just a few months later, we found ourselves in the first lockdown, working incredibly hard to pivot and change everything we would normally do face-to-face, so that we could continue doing what we do online and via phone, Skype and email,” says Lee.
TIM FROM DA BARA BAKERY “With less budget being spent on venues and physical resources, it meant we could apply to extend our project, which we’ve done successfully, so now instead of an end date of July 2022, we will be operational until December 2022.”
“It’s possible that this will be the last time we’ll be able to secure funding, so our goal has been to make this the best version of Outset yet,” says Lee.
What does the future hold for Outset Cornwall and the team behind it? Only time will tell, but it’s safe to say the plan is to keep building on the lasting legacy.
The business start-up experts
Introducing a Catalyst Fund Grant earlier this year, offering clients the opportunity to apply for up to £1,250 in funding to help get their businesses up and running or continue trading and growing, plus entering the last six months of delivering sessions, means it’s going to be an incredibly busy time for the Outset team.
And with a return to more face-to-face events happening across the county, Outset plans to provide clients with as many opportunities to grow and develop their businesses as possible, including exclusive networking events, competitions to win stands at Royal Cornwall Show and Cornwall Business Fair, plus trading at Outset Cornwall’s Grand Day Out event taking place in Truro in August.
Attending Outset’s startup course gave me clear focus and direction.
Krissie Colton Me Clothing
Want to be your GRAND DAY OUT own boss?
#BeOutsetReady
“As a team, we’re committed to reaching and supporting as many clients as we can over the next few months we have left. We’ve had so many individuals come to us with great business ideas over the last two and a half years, and we’d love to help them. We’re also committed to having a positive impact on the Cornish economy, by helping people start, run Focus Start Run Grow and grow robust, sustainable businesses that put money back into it,” says Lee. Whatever your situation, we can “Most of all, we’re committed to making a positive difference in our clients’ lives by helping, supporting and encouraging them to help get you where you want to be believe in themselves and achieve their goals; that will be Outset’s legacy.” Call 01209 311063 or visit NETWORKING SESSION-MAYOR www.outset.org/cornwall to start your journeyMore information and details of upcoming sessions can be found at www.outset.org/cornwall or by emailing cornwall@outset.org
Outset Cornwall is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, HM Government and the Outset Foundation and will run until
December 2022. It is being delivered by YTKO Ltd and Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change. Funded by
