Boost; Lancashire's Business Growth Hub

Happy New Year from Boost ✨🎉 If you’re looking to realise your business ambitions, build a new growth strategy, seek investment or explore taking your existing business to the next level in 2025, Boost has a range of dedicated business support services running programmes, events and offering one-to-one support opportunities. 📈 Growth Catalyst  For already established and growing businesses that have traded for three or more years, this service is for those that want to grow turnover, transform profitability and create new jobs. 🚀 Scale to Thrive  Specifically for Lancashire scaleup businesses, this is a Boost programme that offers a limited number of ambitious leaders support to push ahead with innovation, investment and internationalisation. 💵 Access to Finance  This service is aimed at ambitious businesses with a desire to grow, invest, create jobs, innovate and trade internationally, with a focus on understanding the complex business finance eco-system and readying your business to secure external finance. 🌱 Flying Start  For pre-start and start-up businesses, this service is aimed at leaders who have a bright and growing vision for their new business, and through workshops and one-to-one support, focuses on building business and financial acumen and the core skills needed to establish and grow your new business. 🤝  Business Advice Service  The Business Advice Service is for trading businesses that are ready to take the next steps for a successful, thriving business, with support of a dedicated business adviser who will remain in contact with you during your growth journey. 📞📧 If you’re interested in gaining support from Boost, contact the Business Support Helpdesk which will help you understand which service can best help you achieve your business goals. Call the helpdesk on 0800 488 0057, or email info@boostbusinesslancashire.co.uk. #HelpingLancashireBusinessesThrive #BusinessSupport #LancashireEntrepreneurs

Wishing the Lancashire business community a very merry Christmas, and a happy New Year! ❄️🌟 Over the upcoming festive period, our Business Support Helpdesk will be taking a well deserved rest and the phone line will be closed on the following dates:  📅 Christmas Day 📅 Boxing Day 📅 Friday 27th December 📅 Monday 30th December 📅 Tuesday 31st December 📅 Wednesday 1st January. You can still get in touch with your business support enquiries via the website form, and our advisers will get back to you when they can.  https://lnkd.in/eeJN5Brn #HappyChristmas #HappyNewYear

Jamie Traynor, CEO and founder of KickApp | For Amateur Footballers ⚽️, shared glowing feedback on the value he gained through taking part in the recent Investment Academy programme with Boost Access to Finance. Interested businesses are advised to attend the Investment Academy online overview event on January 8, 2025 which will help them understand what they will gain from the academy and give them a chance to register their interest in the service. 🎫 Spaces are limited, so book ahead as to not miss out: https://lnkd.in/erreGWV2

Do you have a solid financial plan for your business? 💼 Financial planning is essential for any size of businesses seeking long-term growth and sustainability. Some of the core principles of financial planning include: 📈 Setting and pursuing clear financial goals. 💰 Managing cash flow effectively. ⚖️ Anticipating risks and developing strategies to mitigate them. 💡 Securing funding and attracting investors. 🚀 Driving business growth in a strategic and sustainable manner. Boost Scale to Thrive business adviser, Joe Twigg, shares his top tips for financial planning for your business as we head into 2025 in our latest piece on the Knowledge Hub: 📖 https://lnkd.in/diMCQWyN

♻️ Recycling Lives Charity on its growth and being a social force for good 💚 In an interview with Blog Preston, Alasdair Jackson OBE, Chief executive of Preston-based Recycling Lives Charity talks about his journey developing the charitable arm of the Recycling Lives business. Originally the charity was focused on providing a way for people who were currently homeless and out of work to find employment. In recent years, and particularly since the pandemic, one of the charity’s biggest pillars of work is in food redistribution – alongside FareShare UK – across Lancashire and Cumbria. 📦🍎 The charity’s work in prisons has also rapidly increased with 12 prisons now being part of the Recycling Lives Charity programme. It teaches prisoners skills such as dismantling old TVs, recycling work, building their confidence and employment skills and more while they are still in prison. Previously Alasdair was part of a corporate environment and says it has been interesting to move into the third-sector where he’s responsible for a team of nearly 50 staff and more than 100 volunteers, and works closely with six trustees 💡🦠 Alasdair said during Covid they were able to access some crucial support and advice from Boost as they navigated a very difficult period. 💬 He said: “being able to go to Boost and get that advice to help make it through those months was crucial.” The charity has since taken part in a number of Boost programmes to support its growth, including the Boost Business Owners Network, a Boost ran peer networking service. In addition, the charity met with Boost adviser Gill Nolan in August as it starts on its five-year strategy and is now part of the Growth Catalyst programme which helps established businesses and organisations to understand ways they can continue to grow. 📖 Read more on Blog Preston: https://lnkd.in/ehwWEexN

💡New Year, new business? The new year is fast approaching and what better time to make that budding business idea into a reality? Boost’s Flying Start service is running a masterclass on all things setting up a new business, covering the essentials, including:  ✅ How to operate your business and keep things legal  ✅ Tips on how to develop your idea, product or service  ✅ Help with researching and understanding your target market ✅ Identifying your Unique Selling Point 📅 January 9  🕒 2-4.30pm  📍 Poulton-Le-Fylde Spaces are limited, so reserve your place here:  https://lnkd.in/eeh9TDMk #NewBusiness #HelpingLancashireBusinessThrive #LancashireEntrepreneur #BusinessMasterclass

💬 “Stay true to your mission, focus on your areas of expertise, embrace partnerships, and deliver value that has a long-term impact.” Paul Preston, managing director at Chorley-based sustainable property renovation and management company, BARE Capital, shared his advice to anyone looking to grow a business, and insight on his four year business growth journey alongside business partner, Sylwester Noga.💡🎯 “Boost provided valuable connections and a strong peer network, helping us to gain perspective on our business journey. It has helped us to define our brand and offering and to refine our approach to property restoration.” 📖 Read the full Q&A: https://lnkd.in/e-7yuWwe

More high praise for the Access to Finance Investment Academy from Claire Richards, owner at ThinkPig. Following the success of the first Investment Academy, Boost’s Access to Finance will deliver Cohort two in early 2025. An online overview event, offering details about the programme, an outline of the funding landscape and an opportunity to submit expressions of interest for the programme will be taking place on January 8, 2025. 🎫 Reserve your space: https://lnkd.in/erreGWV2

Jamie Turner, who took part in a recent cohort of the Access to Finance Investment Academy, has shared his praise for the programme and its impact on his business. 🎯 If you’re eager to understand more about funding pathways, key considerations, what pitfalls to avoid and securing the right investment for your business, our Access to Finance service is now recruiting for the second cohort of the Investment Academy. Interested business leaders are advised to attend the overview event on January 8 to learn more about the Academy and whether it could be right for you and your business. 🎫 https://lnkd.in/erreGWV2

Celebrating business growth and success with Boost Flying Start 🏡🚀 After being made redundant at the end of 2023, former wallpaper machinist, Mark Dearn, was signposted towards the Boost Flying Start service when he spoke with Boost business adviser Lynn Trickett at a post-redundancy careers fair. 📝 With support from the Boost Flying Start service, Mark turned his business idea into a reality, registering his business, Dearn Home Solutions, as a sole-trader at the start of 2024. As he got his business off the ground, Mark continued attending one-to-one coaching sessions with Chris Trickett, business adviser at the Boost Flying Start service, and gained further support from Boost regarding financial management, client diversification and operational efficiency. Now successfully trading for nearly a year, Mark has begun to diversify his clientele, by focusing not only on business-to-consumer work but also on commercial contracts and service level agreements (SLAs) with estate agents across Lancashire. ⚙️🏘️ 🗨️ Mark said: “I set up the business in January 2024 and now I have work coming out of my ears! I have even appointed two subcontractors to help me with the workload. His advice to other people with a business idea: “Get plenty of advice! And don’t be afraid to just knock on the door and ask for help.” 📖 Read more about Mark’s business growth journey and ambitions for the future here: https://lnkd.in/d-RN6M4t #GrowingLancashireBusinesses #HelpingBusinessesThrive #BoostFlyingStart #StartupLancashire