The level of support available to local businesses in Rotherham has been bolstered with the appointment by the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub of Business Support Advisors.
The new Advisors, who will work across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield, have been hired as part of the ambitious £1.7bn Renewal Action Plan (RAP) developed by the Mayoral Combined Authority, Mayor Dan Jarvis and the Local Enterprise Partnerships.
The RAP has been developed in response to the impacts of COVID-19 and sets out a roadmap for how South Yorkshire can put itself on the path to recovering from the massive economic disruption the pandemic has caused. As well as supporting businesses to thrive after lockdown, the RAP will also create wide-ranging benefits for the South Yorkshire region including getting 55,000 people into work or training, helping 25,000 businesses to adapt and innovate, and accelerating key strategic objectives like decarbonisation.
The new team of Business Support Advisors will work on the ground in each of their appointed areas to identify SME businesses adversely effected by these current economic challenges and support them to restart and recover after lockdown.
Once identified, the team of advisors will work closely with each company to carry out a full diagnostic, pinpoint areas of improvement and proactively work to understand their challenges. Individual Advisors will then focus on their specific area of expertise to broker solutions and strategies for the business to help overcome barriers and identify other support schemes or funding opportunities available to help the company achieve its full growth potential.
James Muir, Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Chairman, explains: “These new appointments are a clear demonstration of how the Mayoral Combined Authority is working to support SME’s and start-ups across South Yorkshire and how we are already meeting the steps laid out as part of our Renewal Action Plan. There are still so many businesses who are unaware that there is this level of support available to them, especially during these unprecedented times. We would encourage any business owners that are struggling, or even if they just need advice on moving their company forward, recovering after lockdown or taking the next steps towards growth, to get in touch and make the most of this free, one to one service.”
James Muir adds: “The Sheffield City Region Growth Hub’s Business Advisors have been working hard to help companies across South Yorkshire to survive and thrive, especially throughout the past year and since the first lockdown was introduced. We’re pleased to say that hundreds of companies have benefited and are better off for it, so it’s no surprise that this new team has been welcomed greatly by the local authorities, who are also keen to reach and support more businesses in their district.”
One business that has already benefited from dedicated support provided by the Sheffield City Region Business Support Advisor’s is Multitask Personnel, a permanent and temporary recruitment specialist based in Rotherham.
Managing Director of Multitask Personnel Claire Lee had been working with the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub on a long-term strategic growth plan - involving skills support and training - and was just about to implement this when the lockdown was announced. The company’s core business was to provide managerial and qualified tradespeople for the Building services, Facilities management and Mechanical & Electrical industries. Overnight this business reduced by two thirds and Claire was left wondering what to do next.
Claire Lee explains: “It was a really scary time for us as a business and I wasn’t sure which way to turn. I’d been impressed with John Hassall, the Growth Hub Business Growth Specialist, so I contacted him again to see if there was anything he could do to help. John let me know straightaway about Re-Start to Growth initiative and it sounded just what the business needed.”
“Re-Start to Growth” helps businesses affected by lockdown through access to experienced and skilled advisors who can help them to assess, plan and restart through an agreed programme of intensive support. John Hassall carried out four 90 minute online consultations with Claire as part of the programme and this started with a full SWOT analysis. He then tailored his support to suit the company structure, focusing on four core areas: People, Processes, Technology and Financials and created a strategic plan which included a vision of what the next 18 months in business could look like.
John Hassall, Business Growth Specialist at Sheffield City Region Growth Hub, explains: “Multitask Personnel were perfect candidates for the Re-Start to Growth initiative. As a business they had been performing well, but the lockdown had an immediate and severe impact. By focusing on their strengths and areas of expertise we looked at ways they could maximise their existing client base, whilst refocusing their resources much more specifically on generating sales and filling roles. Our role at the Growth Hub is to guide businesses through and this approach certainly seems to be working for Multitask Personnel.”
The Sheffield City Region Growth Hub acts as a ‘gateway’ so that businesses can access support when it is needed the most and within the shortest timeframe. The Growth Hub team of advisors offer guidance in the fields of business development and industry support, including innovation, growth, logistics, trade and exporting and accessing finance or training.
Any business that is looking to re-establish or recover after making significant losses due to the Coronavirus lockdown or is facing challenges that put its long-term future in question, should speak to the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub team today.
Visit www.scrgrowthhub.co.uk.
Email: growthhub@sheffieldcityregion.org.uk
