Following the success of the South Cambridgeshire Business Support Service, a series of free workshops is re-launching to help business-owners in South Cambridgeshire become more successful.
The 15 half-day ‘how-to’ workshops are delivered by experts and have been designed to address specific issues of businesses in the local area, including business planning, improving profit, finding new customers and maximising market awareness.
The workshop programme begins with ‘How to plan for success’ on Wednesday 4th September and concludes on Thursday 12th December. The workshops will be held in Cambourne, Melbourn, Fulbourn and Over, and are free to attend for anyone in a South Cambridgeshire postcode.
Each session will be run by Exemplas – a leading business employment, skills and support solutions provider – on behalf of South Cambridgeshire District Council.
The workshops are being provided as part of the Council’s continuing commitment to support local businesses, with a total of £50,000 being invested to provide business support, workshops and the follow on advice service.
A unique feature of the workshop programme is the follow on advice available to all attendees, designed to help them implement what they have learnt from the workshops into their business.
The previous workshop programme had an extremely strong take up from local businesses, supporting 155 delegates over 15 workshops, with many impressed by the depth of content and expertise available.
Impington based Cernunnos took advantage of the free workshops when they realised gaps in their business knowledge were holding them back from reaching their full potential. The workshops introduced the theory and foundation they needed, particularly in regards to marketing, providing useful tips and advice to ensure they achieved the best possible results.
Leemya McKeown, Business Development Manager of Cernunnos, explains: “We had come into the business from an ethical standpoint, but we hadn’t come from business backgrounds and didn’t appreciate the dynamics of a business. The workshops have been an invaluable tool in developing our business knowledge and we are delighted to have had the opportunity to make a real positive change to our business”
Cllr Nick Wright, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s cabinet member responsible for economic development, said: “The last series of workshops we ran were an overwhelming success and helped fill a vital gap for many local firms who are looking to set up, develop their business and grow. We know how important it is for us to support businesses so our economy can prosper and more jobs can be created for our residents.”
Malcolm Williamson, Director of Enterprise at Exemplas, said: “We are delighted to continue working with South Cambridgeshire District Council on its business support service. This gives Exemplas the opportunity to build upon the success of the workshop programme delivered over the past year and to introduce some new topics that, from research, we know that local businesses need. A key and unique element of the workshop programme is the business support provided by our experienced advisers to those who have attended a workshop”
The full workshop programme can be found http://www.exemplas.com/Southcambs/Workshops/
Workshop spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To book your place, phone 0844 346 0755 or e-mail southcambsbusinesssupport@exemplas.com
.