The brand new Business Link workshop programme has just been launched, with 845 workshops taking place from April through to September. The workshops are aimed at anyone who is thinking of setting up a business or those who are just starting out and who need more information on what they need to do to build their business on a firm foundation. All the workshops are free and take place at a wide variety of locations and times to make sure that everyone can find workshops that fit in with their commitments.

The latest statistics from the national Business Link website showed that the top 3 search items in January and February were redundancy, grants and business planning. In addition, telephone enquiries to the information centre at Business Link for the East of England are 70% higher than throughout 2008. Almost one third of calls are from people who are considering starting a business. The current workshop programme has been very popular with more than 1,200 delegates attending business start up workshops in February alone. There has been an increase across the region in the number of delegates who have either been made redundant or are concerned about possible redundancy. There has also been an increase in the number of couples attending the workshops. The new programme has been designed to allow customers to ‘pick and mix’ the combination of workshops that they need to fill in their skills gaps and get their business off the ground. The workshops will give them all the information they need, from business basics such as business ideas and business planning through to sales and marketing, finance and legislation, running a business from home and using IT and the web.

All the workshop presenters have hands-on business experience so they understand the issues that new businesses face. They will help customers avoid the common mistakes and inspire them to put their plans into action.

Two new workshops that were piloted successfully last year have also been introduced: Business Plan Follow up – a half day business plan refresher workshop and follow-on training, aimed customers who are preparing to start their business as well as those who have already got their business up and running.

Start-up Boot Camp* - a residential, two-day, intensive, fast-track workshop designed for people who are looking to start their business within a short timescale. *There is a charge of £50 for this workshop to cover the cost of hotel accommodation and meals.

Herts-based entrepreneurs have taken advantage of previous Business Link events, including Deborah Skeldon and her sister Eloise Veale who launched Stevenage-based design company, ART+TEK in 2007. They approached Business Link East for support when ART+TEK was no more than a concept. Deborah recalls, “I attended [Business Link] courses on marketing and writing a business plan, then saw that they ran one on securing public contracts. We wanted to offer our services to the museum and heritage sector but had no experience in tendering in this field.”

“The Business Link course on tendering taught me how to write documents and complete tenders. Having combined what I learnt on this course with my discussion with Rod Hill (our Business Link East adviser), the way I now talk to people at the museums is very different, and they’re much more approachable and receptive to what we are offering.”

Graham Coultas, Head of Business Start Up at Business Link in the East of England said: “Setting up your own business and working for yourself is an exciting prospect, but can seem quite overwhelming, especially in the current climate. Right now people need all the help they can get, so if they want to follow their dream of being their own boss or are considering self-employment as a solution to redundancy then they should book on to our start up workshops.”

He continued: “The workshops are informative, informal and fun and they enable delegates to meet like-minded people in a similar situation. The networking opportunities are invaluable, especially for new businesses looking to make contacts and share ideas. Last year we saw more than 12,000 delegates and helped 5,000 people turn their business idea into reality.”

The new Workshop programme brochure is available now: call Business Link on 08457 17 16 15 to request your free copy. You can also view and print the brochure on the website at www.businesslink.gov.uk/east/brochure.

Information on all events can also be found on www.bookevents.org and you can book on to any workshop by phoning the events booking line 0845 601 1000.