Following a summer break where many from across Oxfordshire’s business community took time to recharge and reset, the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s growth hub are encouraging business leaders to access its latest batch of support sessions, guiding organisations through various business stages.
OxLEP Business are kicking-off the autumn months with a host of new webinars and in-person sessions, with the aim of simplifying the business support landscape in the county and helping individuals and businesses to easily connect.
Sessions in the coming weeks include OxLEP Business’ Start-Up Club Bootcamp – beginning on 14 September – and targeting the county’s start-ups and early-stage entrepreneurs.
The series of bootcamps have been designed to encourage businesses to focus on the fundamentals of a successful start-up and develop a viable, sustainable business model.
For those more established organisations looking to grow, OxLEP’s latest networking in-person event, OxBOoSt, sees businesses from a variety of sectors come together on a monthly, ongoing basis to seek collaboration opportunities – the next OxBOoSt session takes place on 5 September.
Meanwhile, the Women in Leadership Peer Network – led by expert professional coach, Paula Nickson – offers Oxfordshire’s women in business the opportunity on a fortnightly basis to come together and improve and identify solutions to business issues.
Its next session will take place on 10 October.
Between April 2021 and March 2022, OxLEP Business provided over 6,000 hours of business support – valued at over £3,500,000 – with 388 jobs safeguarded or created through engagement with them.
OxLEP Business also provided over £2.5million-worth of grant funding direct to Oxfordshire businesses during the same period, with a total of 1,500 businesses or individuals supported and a further 1,300 businesses triaged to the right support over those 12 months.
Helen Brind – Growth Hub Manager at OxLEP – said: “At a time where businesses, not just in Oxfordshire, but across the country are seeking support to help their continued recovery from the effects of Covid-19 and the ongoing financial challenges likely brought to the fore by inflation and the cost of living, the role of growth hubs – including that of OxLEP Business – has never been more critical.”
Throughout this summer, much of OxLEP Business’ support has provided guidance and support on several aspects that dictate a company’s growth journey – with free sessions focused on understanding B2B customers, through to mastering financial planning for small businesses.
Businesses are also encouraged to complete OxLEP Business’ support tool, which leads to the delivery of a bespoke support plan. The business support tool takes just a few moments to complete.
Helen Brind added: “If you are actively looking to scale-up your operations, or perhaps seek to understand what investment you might need to achieve your future ambitions, now is exactly the right time to speak with OxLEP Business and discover what support is on offer.”
Find further information and how to sign-up to an OxLEP Business session
