Get Enterprising will be delivered by leading social enterprise, Wenta, and funded by Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership to enable early stage businesses across the county to access the support they need to develop their growth strategy and go on to access further support provision from Hertfordshire Growth Hub.
The programme offers early stage growth advice and support to SMEs and prepares them to access ‘scale-up’ support such as one-to-one specialist advice on key areas to help them grow their business such as finance, digital marketing and technology. Working in tandem, Wenta and Hertfordshire Growth Hub are now providing a cohesive service offering of tailored advice, training and mentoring to SMEs to help them to accelerate their business with the aid of first-class experts and facilities. Together, the aim is to help small businesses across Hertfordshire access the support they need at every stage of their development journey.
Get Enterprising is set to run up until 2022 and business owners are encouraged to use the programme to help unblock common barriers that SMEs face such as lack of finance, skills and technology.
Commenting on the launch, Get Enterprising Project Lead at Wenta, Karen Levett said: “We’re really excited to be leading on the delivery of Get Enterprising. Through the 36 years of experience Wenta has in helping start-ups with growth ambitions, it’s fantastic to be able to now offer even more support to Hertfordshire businesses who are at the heart of everything we do. The vast majority of enterprises in the region are small and their vital contribution to the local economy should be recognised and supported in their ambitions to grow and access wider support provision.”
Hertfordshire LEP has identified in its Strategic Economic Plan, the blueprint for economic growth in the county, that there is a particular need to encourage innovative start-up and small businesses to scale-up and grow: The report states: ‘Hertfordshire has long been recognised as an economy with substantial numbers of very small businesses, but relatively few that grow to medium-size (and beyond), yet these are likely to be the principal wealth generators’. This investment is set to redress this.
Adrian Hawkins, Deputy Chair, Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, and Chair of the LEP’s Skills and Employment Board, said: “We are delighted to be funding Get Enterprising which will help entrepreneurs to access the support they need to succeed and go on to connect with further business support services provided by Hertfordshire Growth Hub. We know that SMEs are the backbone of our economy. Together, we can ensure that they are supported at every stage of their growth journey.”
Sian Ryan, Head of Service at Hertfordshire Growth Hub, said: “Our aim is to nurture a stronger, more vibrant local economy by helping SMEs to grow and reach their full potential. By working together with Wenta to provide further support for SMEs, at every stage of their development, we’re one step closer to achieving this!”