“Building Business in your Community”
LS128 PROJECT
LS128 Business support main aim is to keep
businesses informed of relevant support and
other key news items that will help the economic
development within LS28 & LS12.
Background
This will be done by uploading new information
to dedicated LS128 Business support pages on
the various community and business websites in
the area which currently consist of
farsleyvillage.com, Pudsey Business Support Group
& the Calverley Business Network.
The project was initiated and benefitted from
start up funding from The Ahead Partnership
(Amrit Choda) and supported by Leeds City
Council Communities Team (West North West.)
It is run and sustained by volunteers from the
local business communities of Pudsey, Calverley,
Farsley & Wortley working together to keep
businesses informed across LS12 & LS28.
Business support on your doorstep
Within the areas of LS28 & LS18 there are several valuable local business networks. For the areas of Pudsey, Calverley & Farsley, each have an active and effective business support group which although different in their approach; all are passionate about promoting the local area and its businesses.
Calverley Business Network was founded in 2009 by four women who realised the potential to bring local businesses together, not only from Calverley but the surrounding areas.
The essence of the meetings is that we provide a very friendly, informal environment where nobody is under pressure to ‘perform’ by giving presentations. It’s all about getting to know who is on your doorstep and opening up opportunities to do business together.
Business owners, managers and professionals from all industries are welcome. Membership is free as are our monthly meetings and you do not need to register; you can just turn up on the night. Members can expect to gain benefits from the network in terms of new customer contacts, lead referrals, introduction to a range of local services and special offers.
Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month at the Thornhill, 18 Towngate, Calverley between 7pm and 9pm. The emphasis is on a social event where members have the opportunity to meet and chat to each other
Website: www.cbn2015.wix.com/calverleybusiness
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Calverley-Business-Network/545693925462110
Email: calverleycbn@gmail.com
Regional Business Support
Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP)
The LEP are transforming the Leeds city Region economy by helping businesses in the region to thrive and create jobs. By working in partnership they harness the strengths of both the public and private sectors to help them create a more prosperous city region. Together they are building an economic powerhouse for the North and the nation.
Find out more at www.the-lep.com/business
The LEP supports small businesses in several ways:
• Business growth – the LEP growth service will help growing SMEs find the right support and funding to unlock their potential.
• Skills – support to help businesses find the right training and skills development for their employees and grant funding.
• Business finance – grants and loan funding of £10,000-£1m to help businesses expand and create jobs.
• Apprenticeships – free, independent support for SMEs to take on an apprentice.
• Broadband and digital skills – support to help SMEs to do better business online and grants to improve speeds.
To get in touch:
Contact business growth team on: 011334818181
Or visit: www.the-lep.com
Case Studies
Experiences of local businesses that have benefitted from support programs.
Digital Garage with Google
Google has announced the launch of The Digital Garage project at Leeds Dock.
This is a multimillion pound initiative that will help 200,000 British businesses learn crucial skills for the digital age, and use the power of the Internet to reach more customers and grow faster.
Google opened The Leeds Garage, a popup space based in Leeds Dock which opened its doors on March 30th as part of a six month pilot initiative running until 27th August
Businesses are invited to get a digital ‘tune-up' and participate in master classes based on Google’s own expertise.
Small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs are also invited to participate in events organised by local partners and take advantage of one-to-one mentoring sessions which can help any business become a digital business. For further information please see:
https://digitalgarage.withgoogle.com/#/
Karen Waite, Director of Leap Like a Salmon (www.leaplikeasalmon.com/ask-the-experts/) recently attended their workshops & would highly recommend them. Here are the 10 things that she learnt:
1. The Importance of and how to tell your story online.
2. Ensure you have a strong call to action.
3. How Google search my website by an index of the web.
4. Try to be an authoritative voice in your industry.
5. Include a tag line on your logo if it doesn’t say what you do.
6. Google+: have a presence as it establishes you as a thought leader.
7. That there are lots of resources to understand everything you need to know about anything digital i.e. w.google.com/howgoogleworks.
8. Tools to check how mobile friendly your website is; www.google.com/mobilefriendly
9. How to expand your reach – content network, target customers who are browsing on sites other than Google search.
10. That Content is King and importance of choosing the right key words for your business.
Quick links
http://cbn2015.wix.com/calverleybusiness
https://digitalgarage.withgoogle.com/#/
www.leaplikeasalmon.com/ask-the-experts/
