Businesses

If you run a business in Staffordshire advice and support is available to help you manage the impact of cost of living rises on your business.

Help with energy costs for businesses

Many energy companies offer schemes or grants to help you improve your business energy efficiency, which can reduce costs. For example, subsidies on the upfront costs for more energy-efficient equipment. They may also offer business hardships funds. Contact your supplier to find out more.

The Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Growth Hub

The Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Growth Hub is there for all small businesses and the most recent information on funding and support. Advice and business support including a free appointment with a business advisor, business networks, growth groups and links to specialist information, advice, and services.  Contact the Growth Hub.

Staffordshire Business Environment Network

The Staffordshire Business and Enterprise Network (SBEN), can help you to reduce your carbon footprint and increase energy efficiency in many different ways, from grants to practical help to reduce carbon usage.

Membership of SBEN is free. Find out more about SBEN and the low carbon business evolution programme.

Green Solutions

The Staffordshire Business and Enterprise Network (SBEN), can help you to reduce your carbon footprint and increase energy efficiency.

You can access support from any of these:

1. Carbon Literacy Training. This FREE 8-hour training course will provide you the knowledge and skills to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. You can choose whether to attend an in-person or online course, and the training is accredited by the Carbon Literacy Project, you can book a place on the course on their website.
   
   
2. Energy Efficiency Review. This FREE review will look at your energy consumption and provide you with recommendations to save money and reduce your carbon emissions.
   
   
3. Low Carbon Grant. Opportunity to apply for grants of between £1,000 and £100,000 (cover up to 50% of eligible costs) is available per business to implement recommendations from your Energy Assessment.

Find out more about the Green Solution Grant by visiting: http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/GreenSolutions

 Membership of SBEN is still free until the end of March 2024

Government 

Use the GOV.UK business finances and support finder for the latest support for business

Other local support for businesses

There are lots of support from the county council and partners that businesses can tap into to help with the day to day, and even grow in difficult times. 

Support includes:

• Get Started and Grow - fully funded support for starting-up and growing your business. Accountancy, business-planning, digital marketing, branding, website or a combination available for businesses aged 0 to 5 years.

• Redundancy and Recruitment Triage Service - free bespoke plans to any Stoke-on-Trent or Staffordshire business who needs to restructure and wants to help their staff get into other work in growth sectors as quickly as possible.

• Workplace Health Staffordshire -  free-to-access support from Staffordshire County Council to help you create a healthy workplace. Healthy employees mean a healthy business, support includes professional weight loss, mental health support, activity support and more. Sign up to receive regular updates straight to your inbox or access the webpages.
  
  
• Find links to other support for small businesses.

Recruitment support and training 

• Staffordshire Jobs and Careers - A fully-funded employment brokerage is now available.  Experienced, expert employment brokers can not only help you find the right person for your job opportunities from places that you wouldn’t expect, but can also help you to tap into sources of training and support to skill up your staff, and into business opportunities, such as with HS2. Get in touch with the Employment Brokers 
• Training – workplace numeracy - In a recent survey, 64% of employers have said that they want more functional numeracy skills in their workforce.  Funded by the UK Government, the Multiply programme is designed to support people with the everyday and work-based numeracy skills they need to get on in life and work.  Our providers can work with you to create a bespoke training solutions for your staff. Find out more about Multiply and business.

Stay up to date with support for business by signing up to weekly updates straight to your inbox.

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Business Loan Fund

Support for businesses to grow through affordable, unsecured loans from £10,000 to £50,000.  

Find out more about the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent loan scheme.

Staffordshire Growth Hub 

Advice and business support including a free appointment with a business advisor, business networks, growth groups and links to specialist information, advice, and services.  

Contact the Growth Hub.

Staffordshire Jobs and Careers

Staffordshire Jobs and Careers is a full employment broker service to help you find talent, training and funding, perhaps in unexpected places. Our team of experienced Employment Brokers can help you with your recruitment needs, whether you’re just starting out in business or even a multinational. Get in touch for information for employers.