Cheshire entrepreneurs were given a chance to supercharge their business at a special seminar held at Oulton Park Circuit for the British Touring Car Championship round.
The event, developed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Lloyds Development Capital (LDC), provided vital tips for business leaders looking to grow their business.
The seminar also gave delegates an opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs.
The event – part of the Government’s Business is GREAT Britain campaign – gave local business leaders insight and advice on a number of topics such as exporting, access to finance, skills and training, marketing and advice on innovation and intellectual property.
With the event taking place a day before the British Touring Car race weekend, delegates were also invited to the Quantel Bifold Racing team garage in order to see the Business is Great Britain car, driven by Mark Hynes.
Delegates were also treated to an exclusive Q&A session with Mark ahead of the race.
Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock, who’s backing the Business is Great Britain campaign and its partnership with the Quantel Bifold race team, said: “I grew up in a small Cheshire-based business and this Government backs small business all the way with actions to help them start, grow and employ people.
“Events like this help businesses get into gear by sharing support and tips on how to achieve growth.
“It is my priority to make sure that Britain is the best place for businesses to start and thrive.
“Any local entrepreneurs who did not make it to the Oulton Park seminar can find helpful advice online.
“The Business in Great website is a one-stop shop of advice and vital support for small businesses.”
Dan Berrisford, the managing director of Heat Trace in Cheshire, and a speaker at last Friday’s event, said: “Over the years we’ve accessed lots of Government support which has played a huge role in the success of Heat Trace.
“Not only do we work with the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), we are also helped with finance for our team of young apprentices, which has given our company a real boost over the last couple of years.
“It’s for these reasons that I want to share my experience with other businesses, to help them understand what support and advice is available to them, and how they can go about accessing it.
“We hope that the end result will be the growth and success of even more businesses in the Cheshire area in the not too distant future.”
The seminars saw delegates given the opportunity to meet experts from the National Apprenticeships Service (NAS), the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), Cheshire West and Chester Council, the Connecting Cheshire Superfast Business programme, Growth Accelerator, Access to Finance, and the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS).
To find out more about the Business is Great Britain campaign, visit www.greatbusiness.gov.uk
