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Cornwall Chamber — Supporting Businesses Every Step of the Way
At Cornwall Chamber, we understand the challenges businesses face, whether you’re starting out, looking to overcome unexpected hurdles, or simply trying to succeed in a tough market. For businesses, it can be difficult to find the expert help and guidance required to inspire positive change, let alone know where to start looking. So, we thought we’d save you time and energy by pointing you in the right direction with practical resources for UK business support and advice.
Valuable Support for Your Business
On this page, we’ll highlight a range of financial and non-financial resources available to assist businesses across the UK. While this isn’t a complete list, it’s a great starting point for finding the support you need.
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Governmental Support and Schemes
Help to Grow Campaign
The Government’s Help to Grow initiative offers a wealth of information for businesses at all stages. Whether you’re launching, growing, or exporting, you’ll find the guidance you need, no matter where you are in the UK.Funding Finder
Explore the support options available to you by visiting the Finance and Support for Your Business page of the Government’s website. You can filter by business stage, industry, employee count, and location to ensure you can find solutions to suit your needs.Business Support Helpline
Need some advice? The Business Support Helpline offers free assistance for business owners all over the UK. You can contact their helpline no matter where you are in the UK; just dial one of the phone numbers below!-
England: 0800 998 1098
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Scotland: 0300 303 0660
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Wales: 0300 060 3000
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Northern Ireland: 0800 181 4422
Office of the Small Business Commissioner
The Office of the Small Business Commissioner offers UK businesses information and advice revolving around payment issues, such as poor business practices and late payments.
Innovate UK
Innovate UK is a Government agency known as the “UK’s national innovation agency”, offering funding opportunities for businesses engaged in research and development. Check them out and get in touch to discover how they can help you drive your business forward. -
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British Business Bank
The British Business Bank is an excellent resource to find helpful information and advice. Their Finance Hub breaks down different financing options for businesses, and they also offer a variety of useful business guidance.
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Trade Organisations
If you’re looking for information and advice, trade associations, The British Chambers of Commerce, and local branches of the Federation of Small Businesses are great places to start.
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Financial Services
Better Business Finance is a joint effort between the major banks in the UK, run by UK Finance. They offer impartial advice and support for businesses, particularly focusing on the needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Plus, the SME Finance Charter lays out five key commitments from UK banks to better support their SME customers.
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Loan, Investment, and Other Schemes
Just a heads-up: the list below points you to some individual schemes, and you can find more details, including eligibility criteria, by following the links for each scheme. The British Business Bank runs many of these programmes, and you can check them out on their website.
Keep in mind this isn’t a complete list of every resource available to UK businesses, so it’s essential to seek additional support that’s tailored to your needs if required.
Energy Support
If you're looking for help with energy bills, there are new government support schemes available. You can find all the details in the Library casework article titled Constituency Casework: Government Support for Energy Bills, which covers all the energy support initiatives introduced in 2022.
Leadership
The Help to Grow: Management Course is a government-funded leadership programme aimed at small businesses. It’s a fantastic opportunity to sharpen your management skills!
Start-Up Loans
A Start Up Loan is a personal loan backed by the government for anyone wanting to start or grow a business in the UK. You can get loans of up to £25,000, plus you’ll receive free mentoring to help you along the way.
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Other Lending Schemes
The Recovery Loan Scheme was initially introduced as part of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to improve the terms available to businesses looking for finance and covers a wide range of financial products and purposes. This scheme has now been extended and is being rebranded as the Growth Guarantee Scheme, which will run from 1 July 2024 to 31 March 2026. The terms will generally remain similar to those of the Recovery Loan Scheme. The ENABLE Programmes are designed to boost lending to small businesses by supporting lenders, including banks and other financial institutions, in expanding their lending activities.
Equity Investment
Equity investment involves raising capital by selling shares in a company. Investors buy an equity stake with the aim of making a profit when the company grows. There are also various tax incentives available to encourage equity investment.
Business Angels and the Angel CoFund
The Angel CoFund makes equity investments in smaller businesses across the UK. It works alongside strong syndicates of ‘business angels’ to back businesses with great growth potential. You can find more information on the ACF Investors website. The British Business Bank has a close partnership with the ACF as both an investor and a partner.
Venture Capital Schemes
HM Revenue and Customs provides guidance on two schemes that help SMEs grow by offering tax relief to shareholders for a specific period. These are the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme.
Enterprise Capital Funds
The Enterprise Capital Funds programme assists potential fund managers in setting up their funds. It combines private and public money to make equity investments in high-growth businesses. The British Business Bank invests alongside venture capital funds to enhance the outcomes for private investors, encouraging them to invest in smaller businesses. -
About Cornwall Chamber of Commerce
Cornwall Chamber of Commerce is proud to be part of the British Chambers of Commerce network, representing businesses across Cornwall. We’re committed to creating a vibrant business community, offering valuable support, networking opportunities, and advice on the issues that matter most to you.
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Become a Cornwall Chamber of Commerce Member
Become a member of the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce and unlock a world of resources, expert guidance, and a supportive community. Together, we can help your business flourish. Sign up here to find out more about the benefits of membership and how we can support you on your journey.
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Inspires. Connects. Supports.