Somerset’s local authorities are providing free business advice to people wanting to set up their own green business.
The workshops, run by Business West advisers, are fully funded by Somerset County Council and the four District Councils: Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton and South Somerset.
The project is being funded through a Business Rates Retention (BRR) pilot scheme that allows councils in Somerset to retain a proportion of the business rates income locally to invest in developing the economy and improving the way local authority services are delivered.
There are 11 workshops on the Somerset Green Start-up programme until the end of May – and are all run virtually.
Each session can accommodate up to 15 people as long as they are resident in Somerset, or the start-up business has a registered Companies House address in the county.
“If you are in Somerset and thinking of, or have already set up your business as a start-up, but are struggling with some of the more daunting aspects, these courses will help you,” said James Godman BRR Business Support Programme Manager.
Jane Purdy, Business West’s enterprise manager, who oversees the courses said: “With all our workshops there is a green thread, running throughout. It is all about every business being sustainable. Whatever your business model is, you can embed a Green core from the start.”
Ideas are already beginning to emerge including one lady, Tamsin, who wants to create a market garden to feed her town with fresh veg. and any carbon footprint they use will go to plant trees to offset it and Rachel, a writer focused on children’s books based around sustainability, to help educate the next generation
The free courses last from one to three hours and there are also opportunities for one-to-one sessions. They cover topics from setting up a business to market testing and analysis, business planning, finance, and cyber security.
Places are still available on the courses and you can find out more here.
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If you would like to register your interest in future Start-Up Support workshops, or have any questions about the Start-Up Support Package or the 1-2-1 business support, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our expert team.