There is good news!  The Government has launched a new scheme which can give you up to £2,000 towards your marketing.

You are eligible to apply if you are registered either as a company or self-employed.

This is a fantastic opportunity to get strategic marketing advice for only half the usual investment.

What is the funding called?

The Government has launched a ‘Growth Vouchers’ programme which offers expert advice to small businesses.

Those taking part can access subsidies from £250 up to £2,000 to spend which must be match funded by the small business.

What are the criteria?

Businesses must have less than 249 employees, be registered in England (either as a company or self-employed) and have not sought strategic marketing advice before in the last three years.

What help is available?

The programme helps small firms get expert advice in five different areas including marketing.

How does it work?

After you have applied online you will have either an online questionnaire or a face-to-face meeting to help you decide what type of advice would be most helpful for you.  You will then find out if you’ve been allocated the voucher.

I’m interested, what’s the 1st step?

I invite you to apply if you are eligible, here is the link
https://www.gov.uk/apply-growth-vouchers
This page tells you exactly what you will be asked for when you apply.
It only takes about 5 minutes to apply – really.

The slightly unusual part is that it is a random selection process. The likelihood applicants being successful has gone up from 50% to 75%.

Let me know how you get on.
Once you have been told you have been allocated the Growth Vouchers, then we can discuss what marketing advice would be most helpful for you.

 

How Does the Application Process Work?

Here is the step by step process for Growth Vouchers.

Step 1 is where small businesses apply to join the programme on the website https://www.gov.uk/apply-growth-vouchers

Step 2 will involve those small businesses carrying out an assessment of their advice needs, either by meeting with an adviser face-to-face or by completing an online questionnaire.

Step 3: After completing the assessment, applicants will be given a suggestion about which area of strategic advice would be the most appropriate. Applicants will be told, at this stage, whether or not they’ve been allocated a voucher.

Step 4:  After receiving and paying for the advice, small businesses then submit a claim for the subsidy. They will have to provide evidence that the invoice has been paid and give details of the advice they received. Claims will be processed on receipt and should be paid within 30 days.

Whether the small business carries out the initial assessment face-to-face or online and whether they receive a voucher or not will be decided at random. No assessment about the viability of the business will be made. This is to ensure that a wide range of small businesses receive a voucher and that the impact of advice can be measured effectively.

What’s in and out of scope for the vouchers?

Growth Vouchers can only be used to obtain strategic advice that will help the business to grow. It will not subsidise activities such as building a new website or paying for membership of a professional body.

Read through the description of your business advice area on the Marketplace website to get a better understanding of what will be subsidised.
Good luck with it and let me know how you get on.

Further Details

Full ‘terms and conditions’ information is now available at: T&Cs

For general information about the scheme: Growth Vouchers

To see my Growth Vouchers page click: Lisa Farr

If you’d like any more information please phone on 01903 787506 or email me via the Contact Page