Do you run a business with ambitions for growth?

Peter Desmond sheds some light on GrowthAccelerator, If you are interested in finding out more the Chamber is also holding a GrowthAccelerator breakfast next month.

Imagine you are a small firm of computer software developers and have been in business for three years with pretty good financial performance. You can see greater potential for your services in the marketplace as the UK economy starts to recover; in fact you have ambitions to grow by 20% per annum for the next three years. Yet, you realise that you won’t be able achieve these stretching targets without some assistance. Where do you go for support if you only have limited resources?

Over 13,000 small and medium-sized enterprises have been faced with this question over the last two years and have found the answer in the GrowthAccelerator programme, run by Grant Thornton on behalf of the UK government. This is a nationwide service led by some of the country’s most successful growth specialists, where companies can find new connections, new routes to investment as well as new ideas and strategies needed for a business to achieve its full potential.

The Facility, a London-based multidisciplinary architecture and design practice, is a good example of a firm which has benefited from GrowthAccelerator. Claire Price, Managing Director, realised that in order to run an increasingly diverse business and drive the business forward, they needed to put in place appropriate plans and strategies, particularly focussing on the key area of ‘sustainability’. Since starting to work with GrowthAccelerator, The Facility has increased its turnover by £400,000 and the number of employees has grown from 13 to 20 in four months.

Perhaps this sort of support will help you grow your business. The help you’ll receive with GrowthAccelerator is tailor-made with a package of support focused on the specific needs of your business and the way you work. It will typically focus on one of three areas: Access to Finance, Business Development or Growth Through Innovation. All companies are supported by coaching, workshops and masterclasses with opportunities to network with an expanding community of growth businesses.

The impact of this service is shown by 97% of GrowthAccelerator companies being prepared to recommend the service to another customer. In addition you’ll also have exclusive access of up to £2,000 match funding for every senior manager for leadership and management training.

The cost of this service is subsidised by the UK government and starts at £600 + VAT for companies with less than 5 employees, £1,500 + VAT for 5 – 49 staff, and £3,000 + VAT for 50 – 249 employees.

More information about this service can be found at www.growthaccelerator.com. If you would like to have an initial discussion about how this grant-funded support can help your business, please get in touch with Chamber Member, Peter Desmond of Growth International who is a registered and approved GrowthAccelerator Coach. He can be contacted on 07956 586390 or at peter@growthinternational.com

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk