Our business ethos revolves around supporting SME’s and we are passionate about helping them grow and prosper. To find out there are some great financial initiatives for start-ups and growing SME’s in Bristol is fantastic. UWE, Natwest and Foot Antsey have recently announced a new scheme named: S4G (Scale Up for Growth). The aim of the scheme is to provide support to local Bristol businesses with growing their small business. They can help with business support through workshops, 1-2-1 sessions and financial support, with grants available from £10k to £40k. To find out more about the scheme and whether you can apply for a grant: click here.
Being an SME’s ourselves, we understand the challenges faced and the boundaries you come across. Whatever industry you’re in, it’s tough. The hours are long, the responsibility is endless and the pressure is always there. BUT the reward from seeing a business thrive and grow, makes all the hard work very worth it.
Here are our top tips for any Start Up:
- Plan – easier said than done with a small business and being so busy, but use downtime to make a plan, it’s ok if that plan changes but it will offer metrics and some guidance along the way.
- Build processes and structure as you grow – seek advice from professionals to support this to design an efficient, profitable operation.
- Network – regional networking events provide a fantastic opportunity to get your business and brand out there. Utilise them and go to them, the power of worth of mouth beats a million leaflets! The more you attend networking events, the easier they get.
- Know your competitors – familiarise yourself with your competitors, remember competition is a healthy thing – it shows what you’re doing is right and there’s a demand for that product/service. We believe that investing in your staff will help you to stay ahead of your competition, retaining knowledge, talent and expertise is key to stable growth.
- Manage expectations – whether it’s your clients or employees, ensure expectations are managed from the offset. Try not to promise the world, be realistic and honest.
- Recruit the right people – it takes time to find the right people, but it’s worth it. Read more on Recruitment in one of our recent blogs here.
- Make time for yourself – possibly the hardest but most important tip would be to schedule time for yourself or with family, doing something you love.
With Bristol being one of our core regions, we are HR Experts here to help and support your SME. If you need any advice with staffing queries or setup documentation, please do get in touch with us directly: CitrusHR Consulting, call us on 0844 854 6704 or email us at: info@citrushrconsulting.com, we’d be happy to support you and help your business flourish and prosper.