First Enterprise offers free, confidential, impartial and exceptionally high quality one-to-one business support to pre-starts, start-up and existing businesses.
A range of advice is often centred on delivering one-to-one business support services which includes three stages. However, existing businesses are welcome to discuss specific areas and interests.
It’s as easy as 1-2-3!
There are 3 stages of support
Stage One: Making the decision
Stage Two: Planning to start
Stage Three: Business launch
Stage 1 – Making the Decision
Perhaps the hardest part – the decision to go it alone! Our stage 1 involves providing one-to-one advice on issues around making the decision to start in business, we consider:
- Identifying personal qualities, areas of strengths and skills
- Establishing the financial position
- Undertaking early product or service testing.
Stage 2 – Planning to Start
The ‘Planning to Start’ Stage involves one-to-one guidance and specialist support. We partner with each potential entrepreneur to develop an Action Plan for the business and encourage the development of excellent business planning processes. In particular, the one-to-one support will:
- Provide support to evaluate the product or service in detail – in particular online resources
- Advise on technical issues, IPR issues, research, marketing, selling and finance
- Give access to relevant training courses
- Give access to private sector support, for example banks, accountants and lawyers
- Provide assistance in identifying risk funding
- Provide assistance in moving the product or service to investment readiness
- Provide assistance in moving the product or service to ‘market’.
We’ll help you prepare your ‘Action Plan’. Your Action Plan will be your most crucial management document. It will be based around some or all of the following areas:
- Business idea
- Market research
- Finance, funding and employment needs
- Business plan
- Choosing accountants, solicitors and banks
- Company structure and VAT requirements
- Regulations, permits and licenses
- Choosing appropriate training workshops
- Additional considerations around business premises, company name, insurance, tax and accounting, advertising media and sales channels
- Other referrals.
Stage 3 – Business Launch
This stage involves providing business advice and support to support the sustainability of business start-ups. Specifically, this area of support offers:
- Support to plan for actions to create sustainability
- Support to plan for access to aftercare support
- Support around making the decision to launch, or moving into other supported pathways
- Support for businesses commencing trading, for example registrations with HM Revenue and Customs for VAT.
For free, confidential professional business advice, contact us to arrange an appointment.
