Gosport business owner gives advice after recovering his business after losing 90 per cent of trade due to coronavirus

Marc Smith, managing director of Gosport-based GHS Heating and Plumbing, had an £800,000 hole in his business when the lockdown first started, after being on track to double the business in the weeks leading up to it.

The 48-year-old used an online business tool, BBX to get his business back on its feet, which he is advising others to consider.

He said: ‘I decided to tackle the issue head-on and used this time to invest in the company, the staff and in the local community. My priority was protecting the cash reserves I had left, so I utilised our BBX account to fund these improvements.

‘For the company, the first thing I did was employ a funding expert, Maureen Frost, through BBX. She was an absolute lifesaver and helped me navigate the very confusing landscape of grants and loans that were available.

‘Like many businesses, I haven’t received any of these government grants yet, so I’m glad that I went through all the applications when I did. For anyone else that’s still trying to make sense of these, I would strongly advise getting in someone to help.’

The firm set up a free telephone service for fixing boilers, where engineers could talk through boiler issues to try and fix them over the phone.

Marc then launched the GHS Trust, which was set up when an engineer met a vulnerable person that couldn’t afford to have their boiler fixed and the engineer offered his spare time to fix it.

He is also utilising several schemes available via BBX, including Perk Cards to give back to employees and health and safety training options for staff.

He said: ‘If I can give something back and help them keep busy, I hope to make this difficult time a bit easier for them.

‘My team are my family, and I really wanted to do everything I could for them, and I wated them to feel as valued and supported as possible.’