Supporting new and existing businesses
- 425 enquiries received locally from ºúÌÒÅ®Éñ and Bute businesses
- 645 meetings with a business adviser
- 118 new start-up businesses supported
- 277 existing businesses supported
Customer satisfaction
- 87% compared to a national average of 81%.
- 93% say their business will benefit
- 95% say they would recommend the service
DigitalBoost digital support
- 364 ºúÌÒÅ®Éñ and Bute businesses attended webinars to boost their digital skills
- 77 businesses had a 1 hour digital surgery with a digital expert
- 17 businesses completed in depth digital support sessions (equivalent to 1 or 2 days of support) with a digital expert
Business Gateway Local Growth Accelerator Programme
- This programme of additional business support worth more than £855,000 concluded in 2023.
- In 2022/23 we awarded £111,000 across 33 grants and £20,000 for 17 specialist advice sessions.
- In total £851,000 has been awarded across 192 grants and 66 in-depth specialist advice sessions.
- Monitoring of the 119 unique recipients followed up so far shows a positive impact with an increase of 145 FTEs (up 40%) and £11.1million increase in turnover (up 53%)
COVID Recovery support
Business Gateway administered 2 grants under the Local Authority Covid Economic Recovery fund from Scottish Government.
74 Small Business Development Grants were awarded worth £205,000 in total. Of these:
- 89% said it would help them grow more quickly
- 84% said it would help them improve the quality of their business
- 62% said it would help them go ahead sooner with their development
44 Business Start Up Grants were awarded worth £148,000 in total. Of these:
- 93% said it would help them grow more quickly
- 84% said it would help them improve the quality of their business
- 50% said it would help them start the business sooner
Intensive Growth Programme
In 22/23 Business Gateway piloted an intensive online growth programme, designed specifically to help business owners in ºúÌÒÅ®Éñ and Bute deliver a step change in their approach and achieve growth.
It combined a range of tools and expert support with individual and group activities, tailored to create a practical and deliverable approach to driving growth.
13 businesses took part in the 12 week programme. Of these:
- 89% said they had been encouraged to think objectively about their business and growth plans
- 67% felt supported through change
- 67% built confidence in their business and their skills, and strengthened their business