D2N2 Growth Hub passes 500 mark for business people helped

More than 500 requests for business advice, assistance and funding help have now been handled by the Growth Hub team at the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership.

The D2N2 Growth Hub was launched in Nottingham in December (2014) by the then Business and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock. It provides a ‘one stop shop’ for ambitious new and developing businesses looking for advice on training, growth, and how to access funding help to expand into fresh markets.

Growth Hub advisors work within the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The LEP is a private sector-led partnership between business, local authorities, skills and training providers, and community and voluntary organisations, which promotes economic growth and jobs creation in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Since the Growth Hub team began work in January this year (2015) it has:

• Developed the website – at d2n2growthhub.co.uk – giving accessible advice on areas such as starting and growing a business, accessing finance, training and skills development, and expanding into new and international markets.

• Attended or arranged dozens of business facing events – including the first Venturefest East Midlands 2015 showcase in Nottingham, in April – all around the D2N2 area, where Growth Hub team members delivered talks and provided information on services offered.

• Held workshops on how business support providers can work together more closely; for example, the D2N2 Growth Hub ‘Working Together’ event, held at the University of Derby’s Enterprise Centre in April.

• Run D2N2’s first ever ‘Rural Means Business Conference’, at the RCAN (Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire) Newstead Centre, in Newstead Village, in March. Around 100 people attended to hear about the support and funding available to start up rural businesses around food manufacture, tourism, green energy and other enterprises.

• Introduced a new Partnership-wide Customer Relationship Management system.

The D2N2 Growth Hub also helps to ‘power up business’ by working with other partners including the national Business Growth Service (encompassing Growth Accelerator), the Manufacturing Advisory Service and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI); to enable businesses to grow, export and create jobs.

Satisfied customers who’ve approached the D2N2 Growth Hub for help include:

• Jay Lloyd of Ashover, Derbyshire, who is looking into starting up a rural business, possibly wedding venue hire, said: “I approached the D2N2 Growth Hub for help and advice, and was provided with some really useful contacts and very good pointers on which direction to go in. I hope that, as someone starting up a new business, other people I have dealings with will be just as kind and helpful.”

Lindsay Allen, D2N2 Growth Hub Senior Programme Manager for Sector Development, added: “We have now dealt with around 520 enquiries on a wide range of topics, from business people working in lots of different sectors within the economy.

“The Growth Hub aims to simplify the business support offer. We offer a universal service, with events, and our web and phone service; and for those businesses ambitious to grow and create jobs, we can offer intensive support.

“Among the top enquiries are people looking for further training for themselves or their employees, or wanting to know how to access funding to expand an existing business. There is a lot of information and support for businesses, and people who use the D2N2 Growth Hub services are finding we can be of great help in finding exactly what they need.”