North Somerset Enterprise Agency is reporting that it has helped forty new businesses launch in the first quarter of 2013 – a slight increase on the 37 businesses it helped to get started in the same period last year.
Already 48 new jobs have been created in the quarter by the new business enterprises, which range from a pet-sitting service to an addiction consultancy, a health care assistance service to an eBay shop and a surfboard sales business to a takeaway food outlet.
In addition North Somerset Enterprise Agency ran 16 workshops, clinics and courses during the quarter including financial planning clinics, three day business start-up courses which are fully subsidised courtesy of North Somerset Council and a legal clinic with some 84 start-up and growing businesses having benefitted from the information and advice on offer.
The Enterprise Agency adds that business start-up courses are currently proving so popular that it has added additional dates to its training diary for the coming quarter.
Of the 37 businesses started in the first quarter last year, at least 33 are still trading, despite difficult economic conditions and of the 41 businesses which started three years ago, North Somerset Enterprise Agency has been able to confirm that at least 20 are still trading.
“Our team of locally-based advisors has seen a busy start to the year and it’s extremely encouraging that so many new enterprises are taking time out to seek advice and get their business approach right, which should considerably improve their chances of success longer term.” says Angela Hicks, Chief Executive at North Somerset Enterprise Agency.
“Our team can help with everything from choosing the right business structure to creating a business plan and from helping with initial business ideas to planning for growth.
“Advice, information and training is free or low-cost to local start-up businesses so we would urge anyone who is thinking about launching a business venture to call in and find out how we can help and support them.”
North Somerset Enterprise Agency, a not-for-profit organisation, has been supporting businesses in the locality for over 25 years and in its time has helped some 3,000 new enterprises to start up and thousands of local jobs to be created.
In 2013 the organisation will see the build of its new business centre which will further help small businesses to start-up and grow by providing flexible office space with on-site business support services including advice, training and networking. ‘The Hive’, as the development will be known, is being built and will be managed by North Somerset Enterprise Agency on Weston Park, the site of the former Weston Airfield and is scheduled for completion and occupation early in 2014.
