ASTON PROGRAMME FOR SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH

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1 ASTON PROGRAMME FOR SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH SUPPORTING YOUR BUSINESS TO REACH NEW HEIGHTS For businesses in the following LEP Regions: Black Country Coventry and Warwickshire Greater Birmingham and Solihull The Marches This project is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund

2 Take your early-stage business to the next level by joining the Aston Programme for Small Business Growth. Develop your leadership skills and build a targeted growth strategy for your own business in the company of other ambitious business leaders. Aston Business School is among 1% of business schools worldwide with triple accreditation, and since 2014 has also held the Small Business Charter reflecting its expertise in SME engagement. As part of the Business School, Aston Centre for Growth develops and runs leadership and management programmes dedicated to support the growth of SMEs, leads investment ready pitching competitions and provides start-up and incubation support to student businesses. The Aston Programme for Small Business Growth is free of charge and offers: Workshops taught by experts in SME leadership and management One-to-one support to help you tackle your business issues Networking with other early-stage business owners from the Midlands SME case studies from business leaders talking about their growth journey Guidance through the various external finance options available to you Opportunity to pitch your growth strategy to external finance experts Time to explore the strategic growth opportunities for your business.

3 WORKSHOPS The core of the programme is a series of nine one-day workshops taking place over six months which cover topics relevant to leaders of growing SMEs including: Strategy and business models Opportunities and innovation Managing business finances and options for external finance Leadership, culture and people Marketing strategies Operations and processes. Workshops will predominantly be delivered in central Birmingham with at least one being delivered in the Black Country, Coventry and Warwickshire and The Marches regions. My mentor was really useful as she helped me to pull together the strategic objectives for the business. I have held director positions before but as a result of the programme and support from my mentor, I have left behind all the restrictions and bad habits that I picked up and have started my Xceeda Group journey with a fresh outlook. The programme has helped us to increase our turnover, to move into international markets and to focus on key market segments that we can expand into. PETRA GALE Managing Director of Xceeda Group

4 PARTICIPATION SMEs must have an operational address within one or more of the following LEP regions: THE MARCHES BLACK COUNTRY GREATER BIRMINGHAM AND SOLIHULL Black Country COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE Coventry and Warwickshire BUSINESSES IN THIS AREA ARE NOT ELIGIBLE Greater Birmingham and Solihull The Marches (Transitional area only) Your business needs to have been trading for at least 12 months and have at least one FTE employee (this can include yourself). The programme is not suitable for start-ups. This programme is suitable for businesses that are in their early-stage with identifiable growth potential. Businesses from any sector will benefit, including social enterprises. Please note: Agriculture and retail sectors are not eligible for this programme due to funding restrictions The applicant should be the founder or CEO of the business, and should be the person who is responsible for driving the growth strategy of the business Your business needs to be an SME as defined by HMRC and meet the De Minimis State Aid criteria received no more than 200,000 euros State Aid in the last 36 months Participants need to make a significant commitment of time and effort to engage with the opportunities provided and are required to attend all workshops. Dates for the workshops can be found at This project is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund

5 I applied for the programme because I was keen to grow the business and I also wanted to brush up on strategic advice, so I could apply some new techniques to my business management. The programme has been beneficial in allowing me to gain new business and, as a result, I have taken on a new senior team member. SIAN KELLY Director of Inform Accounting I have new clients and have gained more confidence in my growth plan. I would definitely recommend the programme to other small businesses as it is great for networking and provides the tools to develop a strategy for growth specific to your business. My mentor was inspirational. He had tons of solid experience and so was able to challenge me and give me sound advice that was practical and relevant to my situation. MARK THOMPSON Director of Environet UK Ltd I have no regrets about taking part in the programme and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it, given that I was away from my day job. It was great. I would recommend the programme to other small businesses too, as it gives you more skills and confidence. We have grown already, with new team members and new products, and are looking to expand even further. Apply Now

6 APPLY NOW The programme runs approximately every six months from January 2017 until For the next application and workshop dates, please visit or phone the programme team on To apply, you need to submit an application form which is available by: Downloading it from ing: Or calling the programme team We were doing good business before but now we are doing great business. I find it s small changes that can make huge differences. We managed to secure finance for new equipment/services, which I was reluctant to do before the course. This has helped to accommodate new staff, for which I now have the skills to recruit and manage. N A T E S H E R I D A N Director of Citizen Click CIC