Who We Are
Who is Backing Essex Business?
Backing Essex Business is a comprehensive business support service, which, fully-funded Essex County Council, was created to reach into the communities and towns of Essex, to give practical and impartial advice to entrepreneurs and businesses, helping them to start-up, grow and thrive – increasing employment opportunities in the region, and helping to grow our local economies.
The Backing Essex Business service is delivered by the team at Let’s Do Business Group, which originated more than 20 years ago as a local Enterprise Agency in Hastings in East Sussex. Today, Let’s Do Business Group is a multi-award winning and leading provider of business advice, finance, training, and business events across the South East and East of England, with a dedicated team based at Ongar, Essex, who are able to go out and meet the businesses of Essex where they are.
Backing Essex Business has already supported 298 businesses in achieving their goals in the last 12 months. Through our guidance and support, 104 businesses have been able to innovate through new products and services, and 460 jobs have been created and safeguarded across the county.
Our team
The Backing Essex Business team is made up of individuals that have a passion for developing and supporting businesses in the East of England. With many members of our team having a background in corporate and high street banking, we have an insight and experience into supporting businesses across a wide range of sectors, and can apply this to help you overcome the barriers to your long term success.
With established links to a large network of key partners, local councils and grant providers, and our team regularly attending networking events across the county, we’re able to put you in touch with organisations that can make a tangible difference to your business, and use our knowledge and skills to better help you.
““As a trusted advisor, it is a great feeling and privilege to work with businesses and really make a difference.””
Business support
The range of business support on offer from the Backing Essex Business team can include anything from assisting with strategy, planning and marketing, building supply chains, recruiting a high quality workforce, to helping businesses identify and secure sources of funding.
Backing Essex Business recognises that every business is unique, and so are their steps forward to achieve growth and success. Our experienced team of Business Advisory Managers can provide impartial advice to help overcome challenges and enable growth through 12 hours of free support and advice, however this may look to your business; whether it be talking through and making plans for the future, or looking over your finances.
Canvey Island’s Blueprint Woodcraft, a bespoke furniture maker, approached Backing Essex Business to receive guidance on how to take their business to the next level and expand their reach across the UK. Connected with Business Advisory Manager Robert Laurie, they received 12 hours of free 1-2-1 business support, where they were provided with a full evaluation of their business, shown potential areas for growth, an experienced eye to look over their finances, and signposted to useful connections that would help the business to move forward.
Finance
Providing finance under Community Development Financial Institution Let’s Do Business Finance, Backing Essex Business is able support businesses both starting up and already established with financial services, including Start Up Loans, Business Loans, Recovery Loans and Brokerage. The ability to deliver finance in addition to the free on-hand business support under the Backing Essex Business service enables Essex businesses to benefit from a comprehensive service, where they can receive advice every step of the way from a dedicated business manager who can help make their plans a reality.
One such business who benefitted from the our support was Basildon based Prep Kitchen, a meal preparation service, which saw an explosion in popularity in the lockdowns of 2020, and who had set their sights on continuing their expansion and moving into a new premises to meet demand. After approaching the Backing Essex Business team for advice and support in this new challenge, Prep Kitchen benefitted from 12 hours of free business support, and guidance in their application for £110k under the Recovery Loan Scheme to move into a new company headquarters in Southend.
Our team prides itself on working with you to identify and access the right funding, to help your business survive and prosper. We believe in a people-first approach, and look at your business as a whole, as opposed to using algorithms and computers to make our decisions – allowing us to see your business for the potential it has, and using our experience to help you get there.
Events, training and workshops
As well as 1-2-1 business support, our team regularly holds training courses and workshops to fill the skills gap that businesses face. From sales training for your team, to learning how to better manage your employees, to skills to scale up your marketing, we work with local training providers to host events that can make a difference to how you work, and to help your business grow.
We recently completed the Group2Grow Peer Network Programme, which was an initiative aimed to bring together like minded business people from across the county to come together and work through challenges their business was facing, and find practical solutions. Over 8 sessions last 2 hours each, participants were led by an expert business coach to learn more about what they as a group felt they needed to work on; with content varying from imposter syndrome, to marketing techniques and sales.
