Support for starting up your own business

A healthy range of business start-ups is crucial for the region’s economy, and is therefore a priority for Yorkshire Forward. We spread the enterprise message widely, promoting an enterprising culture and encouraging more people to start up a business in Yorkshire and Humber.

We believe enterprise can be for anyone, regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, disability or location. We spread the message widely, developing the enterprise skills and aspirations of all sections of society. This includes schoolchildren, students and graduates, older people, women, ethnic minorities and those at key life points.

Embedding Enterprise in Yorkshire & Humber

Our Embedding Enterprise programme promotes enterprise to everyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or disability. The programme is conducting action research into what works best in stimulating enterprise within certain groups of people, including women and BAME groups. Our findings will help to inform the way we deliver mainstream business support services across the region, including those of Business Link Yorkshire.

We're involved in developing and delivering a wide variety of initiatives and programmes designed to encourage a culture of enterprise in Yorkshire & Humber:

Business Link Yorkshire

Funded by Yorkshire Forward, Business Link Yorkshire is the region’s gateway to all business support services in Yorkshire & Humber—a single point of contact for accessing help, advice and information if you are thinking of setting up a business or are looking to expand your existing business. A major component of this region-wide service is the business start-up programme, designed to create over 20,000 new enterprises and more than 30,000 new jobs in the region.

The programme provides tailored support for the full spectrum of new businesses, ranging from technology-focused university spin-outs to community-based childcare providers. Additional resources are provided for those enterprises with the most growth potential—ensuring that, as the business grows, so does the level of support available. The start-up programme:

• Provides expert and up to-date-information and guidance on all the key start-up issues to anyone in the region who is interested in setting up a business, or is already in business
• Tailors the ‘enterprise offer’ to a more diverse range of groups, including those who have not traditionally connected with mainstream business support
• Helps people to understand the implications of starting a business, and what they need to do to succeed
• Works with these entrepreneurs to develop realistic business propositions
• Provides ongoing support—from the initial business idea through to the various stages of growth
• Provides entrepreneurs with access to expert, quality-assured suppliers.

The Enterprise Shows

Held over 2 days in Leeds, Sheffield, Hull, and York, these free shows attract a diverse range of people of all ages and backgrounds. They're the perfect opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs to get information and expert advice on a wide range of start-up issues including business planning, sales and marketing, access to finance, tax, patents, and legal requirements.

Held since 2003, the 2008 shows were attended by close to 4,000 potential and existing entrepreneurs. Statistics show that 42% of attendees go on to start up their own business, 87% of which survive beyond their first year. Look out for the next round of Enterprise Shows, due in Sring 2009. For more information visit, visit the website. 

Incubation and innovation centres

Yorkshire Forward helps to develop science and innovation parks and incubation centres to help new, fledgling and existing businesses in priority sectors to flourish and succeed.

Contact

If you’d like to find out more about these issues, speak to a member of the Yorkshire Forward Enterprise Development team:
Vanessa Sammut
Project & Marketing Assistant
(Vanessa.sammut@yorkshire-forward.com)  
0113 394 9758       
If the contact you're looking for isn’t listed here, please visit our main contact page.