New programme offers grants and support for Portsmouth entrepreneurs

Outset Start and Grow can help you set up or grow a business

It aims to help both individuals thinking of setting up their own business and early stage businesses that have been trading for less than three years.

The programme is funded jointly by the UK’s Community Renewal Fund and Portsmouth City Council and delivered by YTKO.

The Community Renewal Fund is a government programme that seeks to pilot new approaches to supporting enterprise and community resilience to future challenges such as COVID-19.

Outset Start and Grow can help start-ups and fledgling businesses

Portsmouth’s micro businesses were particularly affected by the lockdown restrictions. City unemployment rose by 130% overall and more than 170% for young people.

Outset Start and Grow has been designed to fill a critical gap in the support available in Portsmouth for pre-start entrepreneurs and early-stage micro businesses.

Lee Hughes, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for YTKO, said: ‘We are delighted to have been selected to deliver a comprehensive start-up and growth support package which has never been delivered anywhere in the UK before.

‘With more than 40 years of experience, helping 30,000 entrepreneurs start sustainable new businesses and helping more than 22,000 companies to grow through our publicly-funded work, YTKO is ideally placed to help Portsmouth businesses thrive.’

Portsmouth City Council is a funding partner of Outset Start and Grow

Available support includes information sessions, training workshops, online learning, mentoring, networking and peer support.

There is also a generous grant scheme of between £1k-£20k to fund 80-100% of the costs of launching a new business venture, or growing an existing fledgling business.

The advice, business skills development and grant scheme will enable Portsmouth’s entrepreneurs to realise their business idea over the next three months, launch their products and services and begin trading.

There are no limits and on the type of individualthat can be supported, anyone from a mobile hairdresser to a software engineer can apply.

The government is a funding partner of Outset Start and Grow

To date the programme has received an impressive variety of business ideas, from inventors to creatives, recyclers to food manufacturers to name but a few - all led by talented, passionate people, each with a story to tell.

Equally diverse is the range of innovative businesses that have come forward with their growth plans, seeking to invest in vital services and equipment that will help grow their businesses, create new jobs, install new technology and expand into new customer markets.

Businesses can also benefit from a £5,000 bursary under this programme to fund an intern for up to three months.This placement can be offered to anyone who is seeking a job and would benefit from enterprise and small business experience.

In addition, the person can access a personal allowance of up to £600 for items such as travel and clothing.

Very attractive package of support

People and businesses are applying daily to the Outset Start and Grow programme and are benefitting from training workshops, financial planning and one-to-one mentoring support.

Over the next few weeks, they will be working together with the Start and Grow team to develop their business ideas and create a plan that will work for their businesses.

Many will also be applying for the grants to fund the resources, skills and equipment they need to grow and create new jobs.

There also several encouraging ideas on how to create a cleaner, greener, low-carbon economy for the city.

Helen Stratton, Programme Director for Outset Start and Grow, said: ‘This programme has two strands. ‘Start’ is a golden opportunity for anyone who has a good business idea and wants to be their own boss.

‘‘Grow’ extends the support to existing new businesses to grow and create new jobs.‘Combined with the internship scheme, we have a very attractive package of support for the city.’

The Start and Grow business support and grants are only available until the end of June. With this in mind, those interested in finding out more about this time-limited opportunity are advised to register their interest now on the Outset Start and Grow website.

Please go to www.outset.org/startandgrow-portsmouth or call 0800 456 1215.