Ride the Wave - Brilliant support for your business

 

 

As we look back on the fifth series of Ride the Wave business support (which ran from May to September 2016) it’s been a great opportunity review how the series has developed. 

 

The number of businesses (and people wanting to start businesses) taking part in the five programmes has always exceeded the targets set (over 2000 in total). The feedback from attendees both through the formal methods of collection and on social media has made us proud of the quality of the support we have offered. 

 

We now have a generation of businesses who have benefited from the programmes.  Some tell us that they have made lasting relationships, and created their own invaluable peer networks, as a result of attending the workshops (one of the things we aim to facilitate when designing the programme).

 

The Ride the Wave business support programme is more than the sum of its parts. Led and funded by Brighton & Hove City Council – it is an integral part of the business community that it serves. 

 

The Chamber has designed and delivered all five programmes. We have involved the business community in creating and delivering the programme in multiple ways – and this we believe has led to its success. Case study businesses are local businesses, so are the business experts that offered the mentoring sessions as part of this most recent Ride the Wave programme. Those delivering the workshops are some of the best people and organisations delivering business support to the different sectors in the city.

 

The organisations offering business support across the city form part of a wide infrastructure helping us promote Ride the Wave. Importantly, this ensures that even those businesses that are not networked do hear about what’s on offer. The businesses who do attend certainly hear about all the support on offer in the city – and there is a lot.

 

In the last programme there were fifteen trainers and business experts and five case study businesses. 

 

The programme of events was very well received with 169 businesses taking part and a 100% satisfaction rate. 

 

With more businesses starting, it is vital to offer core business skills and training at key stages of development. Ride the Wave helps to future-proof our local economy and build resilience. It gives businesses the skills and confidence to grow and create jobs. 

 

"The Smart Bidding event was incredibly useful giving us a specialist insight into the world of the procurement process. The thought of submitting a tender response can often be quite bewildering, however I feel much more confident now, and would be more inclined to ask the buyer questions in order to gain a real understanding of what it is they're looking for.” Adam Sheldon, Big Egg Films

 

Photos by Simon Callaghan Photography