Business support organisations

Businesses thrive when they get the support and information they need.

Organisations that offer business support

The following organisations offer a range of business support, whether your business is starting out or you need help with marketing, employing staff or managing business finance.

IncuHive

Whether you have a new business idea that you would like to explore, are looking for ways to increase your turnover, grow your existing business or just do things more efficiently, IncuHive can help.

Thanks to funding from Rushmoor Borough Council, their in-house team of advisors can offer you free, impartial business advice including:

• Free advice and mentoring
• Access to funding and grants
• Finance, bookkeeping, tax
• Finding new clients, marketing, web, social media
• Post-Covid business planning and/or pivoting
• New business start-up

As a business owner, you will have specific strengths and areas you would like to improve. IncuHive's advisors will work with you to identify what would most help your business.

Their comprehensive package of personalised support includes a bespoke interactive business ‘health check’, which, with our guidance, will enable you to have a clear and honest overview of your business as it is today. As well as highlighting strengths, it will also identify the areas which will need to be addressed if you are going to achieve maximum success in the future.

The service includes initial and ongoing one-to-one support designed to put the findings and recommendations into action and to maximise the chances of long-term sustainability.

To find out more, please contact Andy Pringle on 07817 065694 or andy.pringle@incuhive.co.uk

Rushmoor Training Hub

Rushmoor Borough Council is offering businesses in Aldershot and Farnborough a free, business training hub in partnership with live learning company SeedL.

The innovative hub offers all employees of Rushmoor based businesses unlimited access to up to 200 live courses at any given time and offers topics that can teach employees new skills, improve performance and ultimately make businesses in the borough more successful.

Employees of business rate payers can choose from a range of subjects including retail management and customer service, right through to Microsoft Excel and project management.

On completing a course, employees can download a completion of learning certificate, helping them to evidence their personal development in gaining additional skills and knowledge.

All courses are uniquely live interactive webinars, allowing local employees to make a date to learn on a flexible basis, accessing webinars from their home or office.

The learning solution is among the first of its kind around the UK and is launched in partnership with Farnborough-based SeedL, a world-pioneering virtual live learning subscription service.

Visit the Rushmoor Training Hub.

Enterprise M3 Growth Hub

The Enterprise M3 Growth Hub provides expert advice and resources to help businesses grow through tailored support from a Business Support Adviser. In addition to providing general business advice they offer a range of specialist support programmes

• Peer-to-peer networks - delivered locally at no cost to business EM3 create diverse cohort groups of individuals to collaboratively work through common business issues.  
• Growth Service for priority or niche sectors - a personal service connecting businesses with experts to help their growth plans.  This includes a dedicated Growth Champion, bespoke business growth plans and a range of resources and expert services

Apprenticeship and Skills Partnership

The Apprenticeship & Skills Partnership offers free and impartial advice to organisations of any size regarding apprenticeship and skills training. We can help organisations across Hampshire and Surrey with finding the most suitable training provider or choosing the relevant apprenticeship or skills programme for them. We also offer guidance on funding apprenticeship training, levy transfers and sourcing apprentices. Most importantly, we tailor our advice to YOUR organisation, as we know that what suits one business may not be the best solution for another.

The Apprenticeship & Skills Partnership can also help individuals find apprenticeship training and answer any questions regarding applications or finding apprenticeship opportunities across Hampshire and Surrey.

Help to Grow: Management

Help to Grow: Management is a UK government initiative to help small and medium sized businesses boost their business performance and growth potential.

Help to Grow: Management is an executive development programme to support SMEs to boost their business performance and growth potential. Small business leaders will develop their strategic skills to increase their business’s long-term productivity, resilience and capacity to innovate.

Through this programme business leaders develop their leadership and management skills together with the confidence and tools to implement change within their business and adopt new and improved business practices. The goal is for the business to experience productivity growth and become more resilient and sustainable in the long term.  Practical application and embedding of the learning is crucial.

Aldershot Enterprise Centre

Aldershot Enterprise Centre has more than 30 affordable office spaces available, from 150 sq ft to more than 1,000 sq ft. There is also co-working space for start-ups and freelancers. The Centre has high-speed broadband, with network points to each workspace.

You will also have access to finance, professional development workshops, networking breakfasts and one-to-one mentoring.

For more information visit the Aldershot Enterprise Centre website.

Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership

The Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is a public/private partnership set up to support and sustain economic growth at a local level. For more information, visit the Enterprise M3 website.

Federation of Small Businesses

The UK's largest campaigning pressure group promoting and protecting the interests of the self-employed and small business owners. For more information, visit the Federation of Small Businesses website.

Hampshire Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber of Commerce promotes and organises local business activities through offices in Rushmoor, Hart, Basingstoke and Winchester. For more information, visit the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce website.

The Chamber can also help your business to trade overseas.

International trade is key to the growth of UK exports and Hampshire Chamber of Commerce provides a comprehensive service to help businesses export, including International trade documentation, supported by its Basingstoke and Fareham offices.

It has close working relationships with overseas chambers and trade agencies and works in partnership with UK Trade and Investment.

To find out how the chamber can help you grow your business overseas visit the Hampshire Chamber International Trade website.

Farnborough Aerospace Consortium (FAC)

Farnborough Aerospace Consortium is a trade association with national and international members. It is the longest established aerospace and defence trade body in the UK, providing support to some 300 companies located in southern England – the heart of the UK’s aerospace industry.

Enterprise Nation

Enterprise Nation is a membership organisation, helping people to start and grow businesses by providing advice, events and access to a peer-to-peer community.

Business Support Helpline

Backed by the UK government, the Business Support Helpline provides free, impartial business support and signposting services to businesses in England. Call today on 0800 9981098.  For more information please visit the  Business Support Helpline website.

Websites and guides offering advice and support

GOV.UK

The government and other partners are working together to support new business start-ups and growth.

GOV.UK has advice, inspiration and practical help you need to turn a dream into a working, profitable business.

Small Business Charter

Their website Small Business Charter offers advice, business tips and support from the experts in business schools.