(This is a service that has developed through activity in a Dales LEADER funded project called “Effective Business Networking”. Yorkshire Business Aid is a not for profit organisation (limited company by guarantee without a share capital) that has been established to provide value for money business support to small and medium sized businesses and assist in meeting priorities to enhance the local economy, support employment opportunities and create an environment for business sustainability and growth. The initiative is just one of the outcomes resulting from the collaborative work between the Richmondshire based Business Associations, and a range of partners, under the umbrella of the Richmondshire Business Forum. They identified the need to find a way of providing continuity for Business Link services that were withdrawn at a local level).
As businesses return to normal after the long festive break, many operators will be wondering what they can do to sustain and grow their companies in difficult economic times. Help with forward planning and assessment is now available from a group of successful Yorkshire businessmen.
David Doorbar, Colin Bailey and Bob Owen have a combined total of 80 years’ experience of running businesses in Britain and abroad. This week they are launching Yorkshire Business Aid as a not-for-profit company to help small to medium sized businesses operate successfully in a difficult market, helping businesspeople to survive external pressures and grow their companies in sustainable ways.
David Doorbar explains: ‘Experience tells us that it is often difficult to look dispassionately at your business; to view your product or service through the eyes of the potential customer. We offer a full appraisal for our clients and provide what SMEs need to help change and improve their businesses. This is particularly important in this exceptionally tough economic climate, and until now there has been little help around to assist’. He continued, ‘One of this Government’s high priorities is to encourage business growth as a means of creating jobs in the private sector. Yorkshire Business Aid has letters of support from local Members of Parliament as well as Members of the European Parliament, which reflect the need for advice and mentoring to help businesses develop’.
The three partners have identified a yawning gap in support for local businesses. There is nowhere else that businesspeople can turn for impartial advice in their local area. Yorkshire Business Aid offers a full diagnostic assessment and action plan followed by a mentoring period of one year that would ensure success. Investment in the service starts at £95 per month for one year. Costs can be reduced or increased to dovetail with individual needs.
The New Year is an excellent time to take stock and consider the way forward to a successful and profitable 2012 and Yorkshire Business Aid is now here to assist. Anyone who feels their business could benefit from impartial advice can find out more and register their interest at
www.yorkshirebusinessaid.co.uk or telephone 01969 622888. It costs nothing to find out more and arrange a free initial meeting, plus everyone who registers receives 20 top business tips free of charge.
L – R: Colin Bailey. David Doorbar, Bob Owen
Yorkshire Business Aid
