Page 12 - SME Toolkit: The Star Covid-19 Edition
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BUSINESS SUPPORT
in association with
  The support and
  advice to help your
business survive
A lot has changed for eve- ryone in the unprecedent- ed times of the last two months.
Like the many businesses they support, Business Shef- field – the Council’s business support programme – has been working hard to adapt to the new world we’re living in and respond to the chal- lenges of an ever-changing economic landscape.
At the lockdown outset, it was critical for Business Sheffield to make advisors available to speak to busi- nesses direct on the phone about their individual cir- cumstances, concerns, and to help them navigate the government’s financial measures.
Demand for one-to-one advice proved high as busi- nesses faced uncertainty.
Extra support has been drafted in, in response. Pre- viously a team of three people would answer the Business Sheffield phone line, but it has now increased to over 20 people, who take 100 - 200 calls a day, and book appoint- ments for businesses to speak with specialist advisors.
The team also had to over- come its own technical issues of moving an office based service into advisors’ homes – issues that many other busi- nesses have had to confront.
From Business Support Grants, Interruption Loans, Business Rate Relief, or Bounce Back Loans, to the Job Retention Scheme and Self- Employment Support, the continuous new information released by the Government can seem overwhelming to many businesses, who may be unsure about what support
Call 0114 224 5000 Email businesssheffield@ sheffield.gov.uk www.sheffield.gov.uk/ coronavirus-business
they’re entitled to.
Business Sheffield’s team
of advisors have been on hand to help them navigate all of this, and to provide criti- cal advice around managing cash flow, keeping operations open, pivoting business mod- els and general survival.
More recently, advice has adapted to help businesses get back to production, now that the lockdown has eased for some industries, all while
following government guid- ance on social distancing etc. As the situation continues to change and new challenges arise, Business Sheffield remains available to offer free support to local businesses. The introduction of a new web based phone system has helped resolve technical issues, to offer a far superior service to everyone, while a new programme of virtual workshops and webinars is
set to launch in June. Whether you’re a start-up
or a well-established SME, any business owners wor- ried about their ongoing sit- uation are encouraged to get in contact.
Regular updates are also posted across Business Shef- field’s social media accounts, on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Natalie Fletcher, business advisor with Business Sheffield.
SHEFFIELDCOVID-19GRANTSCHEME
        VIRTUAL BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
BUSINESS SUPPORT GRANTS
Prior to Covid-19, Business Sheffield offered an extensive programme of free workshops, training sessions and network- ing events.
In these new times, the team has had to rethink the delivery of this programme and is now planning to make this support available via a series of free online workshops and webinars.
Using video meeting platform Zoom, each session will be hosted by an experienced business advisor, with attendees limited to groups of six to12 people. Following some successful
trial events in May, with virtual workshops including Pivoting
Your Business, Planning to Survive and Building a Business Around Apps/Software, a full programme is set to launch in June.
This will cover an even wider range of workshop topics such as Starting Up, Developing a Marketing Strategy, Maximising Sales and Selling Online.
Some content will also be tai- lored to specific businesses, such as those in the tourism and food industries.
The Business Sheffield team
is also keen to work with the local business community and identify further sessions to meet all specific needs.
Business Sheffield has been assisting with the delivery of the Small Business Support grants to local businesses.
Although thousands have already applied for this financial support, designed to help businesses maintain their short-term cash flow during the crisis, there
are still a number of eligible businesses in the city who are yet to do so.
The grants are available to any businesses that are already in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR), who will receive
a one-off grant of £10,000. Support grants are also available to rate paying businesses within
the retail, leisure and hospital- ity sectors. Businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or less are eligible for £10,000 while those with a rateable value be- tween £15,000 and £51,000, will receive £25,000. Importantly, these funds do not need to be paid back, so could really provide a lifeline.
Businesses can access the Government’s eligibility infor- mation and apply for Support Grants directly on the Sheffield City Council website, but are urged to include their business rate account number, on the top right corner of their council issued Business Rates Bill.
Earlier in May, the UK Govern- ment announced additional fund- ing would be made available to operate a grant scheme for those ‘businesses falling in the gaps’
of other support offered, such as businesses in shared offices, flexible workspaces and local charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates. Sheffield City Council assess-
es information from applications that were not successful in se- curing a Business Support Grant scheme to help inform their local criteria, while awaiting further Government guidance to determine how much funding will be available. Eligible busi-
nesses will likely include those with 50 employees or fewer, that have ongoing property costs and can demonstrate a significant fall in income due to Covid-19. Businesses that have received grants from any other govern- ment Covid-19 support scheme are not likely to be eligible. Business Sheffield will play a key role in supporting delivery of the Sheffield Covid-19 Grant Scheme. At time of press, the fund is due to go live in the last week of May and Business Sheffield is taking
a log of businesses anticipating this. To register interest and re- ceive information as soon as it is announced, contact the team.
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