Considered home to one of the world’s major innovation ecosystems and pools of entrepreneurial talent, spinouts and academia, Oxfordshire has a reputation for significantly high business start-up, survival, and success rates.
Now – entrepreneurs, start-ups, and businesses wanting to grow in West Oxfordshire – home to world-renowned areas of countryside, iconic visitor destinations and part of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – are benefitting from two significant business support programmes.
Home to localities recognised worldwide, with some areas even labelled the ‘Gateway to the Cotswolds’, West Oxfordshire residents and entrepreneurs, as well as pre-existing business owners, are beginning from the support available through the programmes to help organisations to develop, commercialise ideas and bring them to market – along with supporting already established businesses to grow.
Delivering the programmes on behalf of West Oxfordshire District Council, OxLEP Business is set to support eligible participants from the west of the county to start their own successful business through the West Oxfordshire Business Spark Programme, with three cycles of support set to run through to February 2025.
To apply for the West Oxfordshire Business Spark, all participants must complete the OxLEP Business Support Tool, even if they have previously completed it – eligible participants will then be contacted with their own Business Support Action Plan, highlighting the best business support route available to them.
Once participants join the programme, the host of fully funded support they can expect to benefit from will include:
• A 1-2-1 on-boarding meeting to answer questions and register on the project.
• Access to a series of webinars covering:
1. Business Fundamentals and the Business Model Canvas
2. Understanding Your Customers, Marketing and Sales
3. Financial Planning and Management
4. Developing Your Year 1 Action Plan
5. Business Pitch for Success
• An end of programme celebration event will take place in 2025
A taster session to help eligible individuals interested in the initiative to get ready to join the programme starting in September is set to take place on Tuesday 30th of July and will help participants find out if the programme is a good fit for them.
The first in the series of events, ‘Business Fundamentals and Business Model Canvas’ is set to take place on Tuesday 24th of September in Chipping Norton (venue tbc) and provide delegates with the opportunity and tools to focus on the fundamentals of a successful business and develop a viable, successful, and sustainable business plan.
The West Oxfordshire Business Accelerator is the partner programme for those more established organisations looking to utilise expertise and support available to help small businesses grow.
Similarly to the Spark Programme, interested parties are invited to apply through the Business Support Tool.
Interested in setting up your own business but not based in West Oxfordshire? Businesses from the whole of the county are invited to fill out the Business Support Tool and receive their own personal business support offer.
