Since October 2023, the Chamber has engaged with well over 1,000 businesses, directly helping 190 start-ups and 160 established businesses by delivering each of them 12-hour business support per output between October 2023 to Mar 2025.
During that time, 20.6 FTE jobs have been created and 296 FTE Jobs Safeguarded. Additionally, 269 clients have improved productivity; 242 have opened up new markets; 80 are now export-ready thanks to the support.
The programmes are funded by UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Warwickshire County Council.
Responsibility for the planning and delivery of UKSPF was part of the Level 2 Devolution Deal secured by Warwickshire County Council in 2024.
The success and continued funding from UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, allowed Warwickshire County Council to extend the services, allowing even more businesses to benefit.
The Chamber continues to help budding entrepreneurs to establish their new ventures for businesses less than two years of registering through the Warwickshire Business Start-Up Programme.
Clients on the programme can access one-to-one business coaching as well as access to a range of workshops that cover the fundamentals of doing business – from planning to marketing.
The Warwickshire Business Resilience and Growth Programme supports established businesses in a range of ways to help them to grow, from diversifying to finding new markets at home and abroad.
The programme, which offers one-to-one business coaching, and can help with financial management, sales and marketing, productivity, identifying grants and funding, and signposting to further help.
The third programme – Project Warwickshire – is aimed at helping the county’s tourism, leisure and hospitality sector to thrive.
It helps businesses through one-to-one business coaching, workshops and networking & connectivity in areas such as marketing strategy, SEO, recruitment and retention as well as business planning.
Sarah Humphreys, Business Support Manager at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are thrilled to continue delivering free support programmes for businesses across Warwickshire.
“Our team of advisers – who have either run their own businesses or developed skills and experience to support in a range of ways – are on hand to offer tailored help to companies to meet their own needs, depending on what stage they are at.
“We’ve helped everything from florists to fitness businesses and from vets to vineyards – and the feedback we received has been extremely positive.
“So, I would encourage businesses across Warwickshire to get in touch to find out more about how we can support them.”
Councillor Rob Howard, Portfolio Holder for Economy at Warwickshire County Council, said: “We’re delighted that the Business Growth Warwickshire Programme will continue for another year. The support has proven invaluable to Warwickshire’s businesses and has helped to create and safeguard jobs within the county.
“I look forward to seeing the continued support businesses will receive from the range of programmes and the impact this will have for our local businesses.”
For more information go to https://www.cw-chamber.co.uk/business-support/
Pictured: The business support team at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce
