#LoveYourBusinessWeek – A Week of events to help you start or grow your business

Love Your Business Week is on the way, and we've got an exciting line-up of events to share with you!

Running from 24th - 28th February 2020, this week of training, workshops and events will give you the skills to start or grow your own business.

Through-out the week, you can follow #LoveYourBusinessWeek over on Twitter to stay up to date with whats going on across the Liverpool City Region.

Love Your Business Week 2020 line up...

Monday 24th February 2020

‘Protect your brand!’ trademarks and trademark searching workshop
Where: BIPC Liverpool Central Library
When: 24th February - 18:00-19:00

An essential guide to understanding how trademarks can help your business succeed.

Book on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/protect-your-brand-trade-marks-and-trade-marks-searching-tickets-91639096003

Tuesday 25th February 2020

Enterprise Hub - Business Live Stream!
Where: The Women's Organisation, 54 St James Street, L1 0AB
When: 25th February - 11:00-11:20

Thinking about starting or growing your own business? Our business experts will be hosting a 20 minute live stream answering all your burning questions.


Booking: Live from Facebook 

Wednesday 26th February 2020

Location, Location, Location: Finding the perfect premise for your business
Where: 54 St James Street, L1 0AB
When: 26th February - 13:00-17:00

Delivered by Louise Kissack, Founder of Spaghetti Group, this session will guide you through the process of:

• Identifying your target customer
• Finding the right location for your business
• Understanding your lease and negotiating with your landlord
• Navigating the legalities of commercial property

Booking: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/location-location-location-find-the-perfect-premises-for-your-business-tickets-94660649551

Wednesday 26th February 2020

St Helen’s Chamber’s Enterprise Hub Drop in Clinic
Where: St Helens Chamber, Clickworks, 4-6 Hardshaw St, WA10 1RE
When: 26th February - 13:00-16:00

If you have a great idea for a business but don't know where to start, the drop-in clinic can provide you with advice and guidance.

Booking: https://www.sthelenschamber.com/events/661918-business-start-up-drop-in

Wednesday 26th February 2020

Business Start-Up Conference in partnership with BIPC Liverpool and The Women’s Organisation
Where: BIPC Liverpool, Liverpool Central Library
When: 26th February – 10:00-13:00

This informative half-day workshop will help you consider registering as a sole trader, limited company and the tax implications involved.

Kelly Phillips, Co-Founder of unique arts school for children Connect Studios, as well as Francisco Carrasco and Max Alder from Arts & Cultural Organisation, Luma Creations will be joining us to share their start-up journeys

Book on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/enterprise-hub-start-up-conference-tickets-92338552095

Thursday 27th February 2020

The Business Boost Halton – 1-day Marketing and Social Media course
Where: Halton Stadium, Lower House Ln, Widnes WA8 7DZ
When: 27th February – 09:30-16:30

This 1-day programme will enable you to use different Marketing and Social Media techniques to promote your business both on and offline.

Book on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-business-boost-halton-1-day-marketing-social-media-course-tickets-92173444253

The course is part of the Enterprise Hub programme and is open to newly registered businesses in Halton who have registered with HMRC or Companies House within the last 42 months.

Thursday 27th February 2020

Enterprise Hub Presents: Bookkeeping & Finance with Wirral Chamber
Where: Egerton House, Tower Road, Birkenhead, CH41 1FN
When: 27th February – 09:30-12:30

This informative half-day workshop will help you consider registering as a sole trader, limited company and the tax implications involved.

Book on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/enterprise-hub-presents-bookkeeping-finance-tickets-82577963913

Thursday 27th February 2020

Business Forward: The Innovation & Resilience Clinic
Where:The Women's Organisation, 54 St James Street, L1 0AB
When: 27th February – 09:30-12:30

Whatever support your business needs, we can give you on the spot advice or signpost you to someone who can help you further.

Book on Eventbrite or drop in: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/business-forward-innovation-resilience-drop-in-clinic-tickets-92716271865

The UK has now left the EU, the Local Growth Hub is committed to helping Liverpool City Region businesses be more resilient as they go through the transition period and beyond.

We have created a dedicated page to help you through this period https://localgrowthhub.com/transition/

Thursday 27th February 2020

Entrepreneurial advice with Cllr Gary Millar
Where: BIPC Liverpool, Liverpool Central Library
When: 27th February – 13:00-16:00

Cllr Gary Millar and his team of business experts will be on hand to answer to your business start-up questions in this friendly drop-in session.

Booking: You don’t need to book, just drop in on the day

Thursday 27th February 2020

Patents advice with Dr Les Prichard (Culverstons)
Where: BIPC Liverpool, Liverpool Central Library
When: 27th February – 13:00-16:00

Free, expert patents advice.

book in advance by emailing to libraries.enquiries@liverpool.gov.uk

Thursday 27th February 2020

Business website advice with Digital Config 
Where: BIPC Liverpool, Liverpool Central Library
When: 27th February – 13:00-16:00

Booking: You don’t need to book, just drop in on the day

Friday 28th February 2020

Let's Talk Business - Drop-in for business Start-up advice
Where: The Women's Organisation, 54 St James Street, L1 0AB
When: 28th February – 10:00-14:00

Thinking of starting a business? If you have an idea or a hobby you could turn into a business, drop in for an informal chat with an expert Business Adviser at The Women's Organisation. You'll find out more about the logistics of going self-employed and discover what support is available to you.

Book on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lets-talk-business-drop-in-for-business-start-up-advice-tickets-92341490885

Open to men and women who are thinking of starting a business in the Liverpool City Region. Booking essential. Secure your slot by contacting hello@thewo.org.uk or calling 0151 706 8111.



For more details you can contact us on 0151 706 8113 or get in touch via e-mail at enterprisehub@thewo.org.uk


You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using @MerseyEntHub to be the first in the know about #LoveYourBusinessWeek.

5 Years of Entrepreneur in Residence

On 5th February the Liverpool Business & IP Centre (BIPC) is celebrating the fifth anniversary of Councillor Gary Millar becoming its Entrepreneur in Residence.  In this time, he and his team of volunteer specialist mentors have advised over 1,600 individuals starting or growing a business.  Every week at Liverpool Central Library they have provided free, impartial, non-judgemental, practical and inspirational guidance.  It’s been a remarkable commitment from a man as busy as Gary always is.  He is a firm believer, though, in the need to “pay it forward” and let others benefit from his knowledge and understanding of start-ups.

Gary Millar is Deputy Mayor of Liverpool & Mayoral Lead For Business & International Relations.  He was Lord Mayor of Liverpool for the Municipal Year 2013/2014.  After growing his own IT and marketing businesses, he is now co-owner of Parr Street Studios (hotel, recording studios, bars and offices).

When Liverpool’s BIPC was about to launch in January 2015, Gary recognised the need for it to offer the support and mentoring crucial to improving the chances of survival for new businesses.  He offered to become the Entrepreneur in Residence for the Centre and immediately began assembling a team of expert mentors to work with him.  That team has now grown so that there are around ten mentors who regularly come in to the library and another twenty who Gary can call upon to assist the business founders he meets.

When he launched his weekly business clinic Gary explained, “I have a passion for business and a unique understanding of what entrepreneurs and businesses can go through. My role is to listen, inspire, motivate and steer people to hopefully the right kind of support.”

Five years later and over 1,600 people have benefitted from the guidance of Gary and his team.  Feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly full of praise.  The project’s recently released end-of-year report for 2019 shows that 96 per cent of those who have taken advantage of the free sessions have come away happy and inspired.

Gary Millar’s ability to guide people to the ongoing support needed to launch and grow a business is another key part of the success of his advice drop-in. Research has continually shown that businesses who receive ongoing mentoring and support are much more likely to survive in their early years of trading than those which do not receive such support.

The success of the Liverpool BIPC advice sessions has led to Gary Millar being approached by several others organisations wanting to learn from him about best practice and how to deliver similar services elsewhere.

Cllr Millar said: “It’s been a great year for business in Liverpool and we have been excited to see so many bright, enthusiastic entrepreneurs coming to see us at the library’s Business and Intellectual Property Centre, the BIPC, in search of the boost they may need to get their business grow and under way. Interestingly they don’t just come from Liverpool but as far afield as Yorkshire and Wales! Thank you to them all for taking that bold step in reaching out for help.”

Entrepreneur in Residence drop-in advice session with Cllr Gary Millar and team – every Thursday from 1pm to 4pm,  Liverpool Business & IP Centre (BIPC)

'Menu' of Support with Enterprise Hub

Starting any new business can be daunting, but branching out into the food and beverage world can throw up its own, specific problems. Budding restaurateurs highlight the same key issues when starting out: finance, including VAT and cash flow; legalities; HR procedures and how to grow a ‘dream team’; and marketing. Through Enterprise Hub, our business experts are on hand to help you get to grips with the ins and outs of managing a new food or drinks venture, increase your profits, and create a sustainable business model.

You've got the ingredients, we'll give you the tools you need!

Know your numbers

Our business team provide support to help you to better understand finance and how to access different financing options. Many new restaurant owners underestimate the start-up capital they need to open and run a restaurant, which causes problems in the long run – with 1-2-1 cash flow forecasting and budgeting support, tools to help maximise profitability, plus knowledge on how to register for VAT, our business advisers will help you create the infrastructure for a successful business.

Cross the Ts and dot the Is

The food and beverage industry has some lengthy and complex legalities, with food safety and health and safety regulations to consider. Customers are becoming far more aware of food hygiene ratings, so a thorough knowledge of industry standards is paramount. Our team can provide support with premises considerations and lease agreements, as well as signpost to resources to help demystify some of the industry legislation.

Create and grow your ‘dream team’

Chances are, if you’re running a restaurant, you’re going to have to recruit staff. Hiring the wrong type of people can lead to a high staff turnover rate and bad customer service, which then has a knock-on effect on the rest of the business. Through our support programme, you will learn the practical side of becoming a first-time employer: how to recruit and select the right staff for your business, understand employment contracts, and how to effectively manage people performance.

Make your business stand out!

Consumers are saturated with products and services in today’s climate, so effective marketing is crucial if you want your business to stand out from the crowd. What makes you different? How can you brand yourself to appeal to potential customers? What strategies are you using to put yourself out there? With the help of our business team, you will develop a social media and marketing plan, review which platforms and channels are most suitable for your brand, and curate creative content to promote your business.

These topics are just some of the issues that our business experts can support you with – this isn’t an exhaustive list! Working with you, they will create a tailored programme of support specific to you and your business needs.

This programme, Enterprise Hub Growth Support, is available to any business based in the Liverpool City Region which has been registered with Companies House or HMRC for less than 42 months. Contact us on 0151 706 8113 or enterprisehub@thewo.org.uk to find out more!