Business Support
Below is a round up of support currently available to businesses in Mid Sussex. If you would like to contact the Economic Development team, please email: economicdevelopment@midsussex.gov.uk and we will respond as quickly as we can.
Business Support and Advice
The Business & IP Centre (BIPC) Sussex with its Regional Centre BIPC Brighton & Hove at Jubilee Library and its BIPC Local at Crawley Library, supports entrepreneurs, inventors, and small businesses across Sussex, from that first spark of inspiration to successfully launching and developing a business.
As well as being a hub for entrepreneurs to network and attend events, it provides 121 expert advice and access to a wealth of free information - business databases, market research reports, company data and information on intellectual property.
BIPC Sussex is part of the British Library’s National Network of BIPCs and one of 20 Centres currently available across UK.
The Growth Hub team provides business advice, support and strategic leadership to help small and medium sized enterprises drive sustainable business success across West Sussex. The Growth Hub team can help you review your business, identifying barriers to your growth and direct you to solutions from the very wide range of support available including funding, support programmes or specialists.
Tools and Learning Resources
Since September 2023, local businesses across West Sussex have benefitted from an innovative series of free workshops, mentoring, and networking events designed to boost digital capabilities and uncover new opportunities.
The videos and slides continue to provide a comprehensive suite of business support enabling businesses to benefit from the best workshops for them at a time that suits. The video series provides actionable insights, practical tips and key takeaways to use immediately.
With tools to help:
- Increase Sales
- Reduce Costs
- Reach New Customers
- Grow Capacity
Click the link now and find the sessions you'd like to watch:
The West Sussex Business Hub is free to join and open to anyone in West Sussex who runs or owns an independent business, providing access to training, business support, networking opportunities, and information - as well as enabling you to contribute your ideas and share your experience with other business owners.
Essentials is the latest addition to the government’s Help to Grow campaign: a one-stop shop for SMEs. The course is suited for leaders of newer or smaller SMEs, or those who are looking to explore the principles of business growth and management.
Business leaders can access the course here: https://helptogrow.campaign.gov.uk/
Journey to Net Zero
Let’s Go! Net Zero is an initiative aiming to inspire and motivate West Sussex Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) and business sectors to embrace relevant and meaningful steps towards sustainability and net zero delivering a fully funded programme of free support, events and resources for local businesses.
Find out more about the support available, access useful tools and resources and sign up for upcoming events here www.letsgonetzero.net
The programme follows on from the successful Low Carbon Business video series available to watch on YouTube https://bit.ly/3Utp7er
The Let’s Go! Net Zero programme is being jointly funded by West Sussex County Council and the West Sussex Districts and Boroughs.
Clean Growth UK offer eligible businesses a net-zero package which includes a free 3-part workshop series, a carbon calculator, and access to funding and innovation support to help you reduce your footprint faster. Further information can be found here https://www.clean-growth.uk/net-zero-360/
Innovation
Innovate UK Business Growth is a key part of the UK innovation agency’s deep investment in the pioneering businesses that drive economic growth. It is a publicly-funded service available to all high potential small to medium sized innovation-driven companies, including Innovate UK grant winners.
Tourism & Visitor Economy
Experience Sussex Business Hub
Experience Sussex is an ambitious development programme dedicated to unlocking the transformative potential of East and West Sussex's visitor economy. Whether you are looking to grow, transform or build resilience, we work across a range themes and agendas with a network of specialists and visitor economy development partners to bring you training and support activities ranging from workshops, webinars to networking events and online clinics - all designed to help your organisation thrive.
Whether you’re starting out or building up, the Visit England Advice Hub is here to support every one of England’s tourism businesses – at every stage of their journey. Resources include insights on potential sources of funding, marketing, employment law, crisis management and improving sustainability and accessibility – with useful links to further information. Use the expert toolkits to elevate your PR skills, attract international visitors, improve your accessibility and more.
Mid Sussex District Council has commissioned Natural Partnerships CIC to create a special Mid Sussex Food & Drink Business Directory on their https://sussexfoodanddrink.org website - THE Sussex directory for local food & drink.
This will help make it easy for buyers in the hospitality and retail industry to find our great local food and drink producers.
It will also promote the wonderful food shops, pubs, restaurants and cafés in the Mid Sussex District which sell and serve local Sussex produce to the public.
Our goal is to help strengthen the link between our local food and drink businesses, supporting the local economy by keeping it local and being more sustainable by reducing food miles.
If you produce, serve or sell local Sussex food and drink, you can also sign yourself up for the directory by going to the website and clicking the GET LISTED button under the Sussex map on the home page and filling your details. You will then be added to both the Sussex-wide directory and our new Mid Sussex Directory
Sussex Six is a growing campaign which aims to help hospitality and retailers serve and sell more of the fantastic local Sussex produce grown and made on our doorstep. Customers love buying local, and Sussex Six can help.
Hospitality or retail businesses in Mid Sussex are invited to pledge to source and serve/sell an additional six local Sussex products over the coming year.
The campaign is free to join and in exchange for your pledge your business will receive free promotion and marketing, joining over 100 other fantastic Sussex food and drink businesses who have already signed up. You will be featured and listed on the Sussex Food and Drink Directory along with a raft of other useful publicity on social media and through a consumer campaign encouraging the public and visitors to support Sussex Six businesses.
For more information and to register your pledge, visit: https://sussexfoodanddrink.org/sussex-six/
The Sussex Six Campaign is managed by Natural Partnerships CIC with support from Mid Sussex, Horsham and Chichester District Councils and is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Additionally, for producers there is a limited offer to receive mentoring, training, and assessments to help achieve SALSA certification. SALSA (Safe and Local Supplier Approval) certification is a food safety standard designed specifically for small and medium-sized food businesses. There are a small number of spaces for Mid Sussex businesses. For enquiries, please contact catrinhughes@salsafood.co.uk
The SALSA ‘Support from the Start’ scheme is delivered by SALSA Technologies Ltd, in collaboration with Horsham District Council and funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Upcoming Events
Grab a coffee, chat to our economy team and:
- Make new contacts
- Learn about the support available for your business
- No appointment necessary - simply drop in
Upcoming dates - Thursdays at 10:30-12 noon
- 30th January 2025
- 27th February 2025 - featuring special guest Angela Maguire from Help to Grow
- 27th March 2025 - featuring special guest Taygan Paxton from West Sussex Growth Hub
- 1st May 2025 - featuring special guest from Mid Sussex Wellbeing
- 3rd July 2025 - featuring special guests from BIPC Sussex
Business and Membership Organisations
Mid Sussex benefits from the support of various business associations and organisations providing business support, networking opportunities and a wide range of events.
Useful Resources and Tools
Modern Slavery Toolkit
The toolkit is the first of its kind, being both free and specifically created for SMEs in consultation with business experts. The toolkit includes key features such as a simple risk self-assessment, practical steps to protect employees, and clear guidance on how to report modern slavery concerns.