Starting a new business might be daunting at first – trying to figure out where to start to begin with, but did you know some organisations specialise in helping start-ups succeed? The CLLD (Community Led Local Development) is part of the British libraries. They focus on working with 20% of the most deprived areas of Hull to help inspire new businesses to grow. Over two days, they set up a workshop called “How to Start and Grow Your Business” which focuses on the importance of business planning, social media, and finance.
Kerry Wainman, Project Coordinator for CLLD, told me how she organises these events based on demand. Businesses want to learn how to use social media and finance to help benefit their business. They have also incorporated the ‘Business Model Canvas’ into one of the days as she feels this is an area people are less aware.
Day one of the workshop focused on the importance of business planning. In the morning, John Olivant, who has 30 years of extensive experience running a successful business, discussed the significance of business planning. He talked about different areas and why it is essential to plan, using his business experience to offer advice on what worked for his company. One of the pieces of advice he told the group was about ‘freedom of purpose’, stating, “you can design the business to run in a way that works best for you”. He finds this advice useful as most people, when starting up in business, feel they must work 24/7 when they can design their business to suit their lifestyle.
Later in the day, Naomi Smith, Librarian for Hull Libraries, educated businesses on the ‘Business Model Canvas’. This plan can be used to get you thinking about your business and the various areas within it to help it to grow. Throughout this workshop, she broke down all nine sections of the model and talked to us about them in depth. This gave people the opportunity to discuss with other people their weaknesses within the model.
Talking about her experience working with CLLD and delivering presentations for their workshops, she told me those attending the workshops felt confident because it allowed them to meet new people at similar stages starting their businesses. These workshops provide a chance to learn not only from the speakers but learn from other companies from their advice and experiences.
I spoke to Naomi about the importance of business planning and why start-ups should consider in-depth planning. She feels “it can help give you an overview of your plan and help to point out weaknesses within it.”
The second day was focused on how to use social media to interact with your audience, the importance of business expenses and accounting software tailored to help start-up businesses.
Vikki Johnson’s experience with the design and marketing industry allows her to help small businesses create engaging social media content.
During her presentation, she focused on the leading social media platforms and how each one can be used in a way to connect with different audiences. She also advised on the best types of content to post on specific platforms. “Social media is important for start-up businesses because it is getting your brand and business out there for people to see.”
The people that attended this workshop found her presentation very helpful because some of them want to learn how to use social media in an engaging way to help benefit their businesses.
Jennie Linford attended this workshop because she wasn’t aware of how to use social media to benefit her company. “Just learning what to post on social media has given me a good starting point.” Attending this workshop has given her the knowledge and confidence to ensure her business starts on the right track.
Liz Turpin was the last speaker of the event who gave a finance talk. Her business, Turpin Accounting Services, is a family-run business which provides various services, including bookkeeping, VAT returns and payroll. Throughout her presentation, she focuses on business expenses and different accounting software available to businesses. “We are here not to talk about our business but to talk to the client about their business, how we can fit into their business.”
Her talk helped to educate people about business expenses and what you can and cannot claim back as well as introducing different accounting software. The software she talked about included QuickBooks, Zero and Free Agent and how they can help manage your finances.
If you missed this event, the BIPC has organised another two-day workshop called “How to Grow Your Business” at Louis Pearlman Centre on the 23rd and 24th of November. During this workshop, you can learn business planning, mind mapping, social media and how to protect your business ideas.
To book your free place at the next workshop, email [email protected]
For more information about what the BIPC can offer, visit www.hcandl.co.uk/libraries/business-information-and-support/business-support