Whether you are looking to streamline productivity, increase sales, or even take the first steps in starting your own business, St Helens Business Support & Start-up Service is here to help.
Current business owners
If you have an established business, our team of experienced business advisors will work with you to understand your specific business goals and objectives and develop a tailored action plan to help you achieve them.
In addition, we offer a range of specialist workshops, topics include:
- Business growth
- Sales and marketing
- Innovation
- Management and leadership
- ….and more.
Starting your own business
We understand that starting your own business can be daunting, which is why our team will be with you every step of the way. Your dedicated advisor will be able to support you with a range of 1-2-1 sessions and workshops, covering topics such as:
- Mindset & Resilience – what makes a successful entrepreneur
- Marketing & Planning
- Finance, Raising & Growing Funds
- Networking and connections
- …and more.
Your advisor will work with you to develop a bespoke action plan, and provide practical tips and advice in order to help you make the leap.
Meet the team
Ian
Delivery ManagerHello! I’m Ian, the Delivery Manager at the St Helens Business Support Programme and it is my responsibility to manage the overall programme. I have worked in the digital sector and been a business adviser for over 20 years, as well as having had my own consultancy business helping businesses to select and implement ERP systems for over 10 years. A fun fact about me is that I have been the chairman of an amateur football club for 18 years and I won the Greater Manchester Volunteer of the Year in 2015.
Ava
Marketing and Events ExecutiveHi! I am Ava, the Marketing and Events Executive for the St Helens Business Support Service. I have a vast amount of experience in managing events in both the public and private sectors, and my responsibilities include managing all events on the programme, providing end-to-end event management support, including marketing, planning, and executing all scheduled events. I am also in charge of marketing for the programme, including designing all marketing content and collateral, website updates and managing social media accounts. A fun fact about me is that the most interesting event I’ve worked on was a PR launch for a Pug-themed Café in Manchester (with real pugs!).
Connor
Business AdvisorHi! I’m Connor, a Business Advisor and Enquiry Handler at the St Helens Business Support Service. I have been working with startups for over 10 years, with a background in export documentation and DBS. My responsibilities include diagnosing customers’ business support requirements, answering queries, and managing businesses' referrals to internal or external services as required. This includes following up to ensure clients are engaged and undertaking full analysis and evaluation of the function of the delivery team. A fun fact about me is that I opened my own karate academy in 2019 and was promoted to 3rd Degree Black Belt in 2021 by the Head Coach of England Karate.
Tina
Business AdvisorHi! My name is Tina and I am a Business Advisor for the St Helens Business Support Service. I have 12 years of Marketing and Communication experience in a variety of industries including industrial, banking and retail. I re-skilled in 2019 as a coach and started as a small business mentor whilst completing my level 5 ILM in coaching and mentoring here in the UK. My responsibilities as an enterprise specialist include supporting pre-start and start-up businesses. A fun fact about me is that I helped run my family Dry Cleaning business in South Africa for 8 years.
David
Business AdvisorHello! My name is David and I am a Business Advisor for the St Helens Business Support Service. I have over 30 years of experience in the design and supply of precision machinery and software solutions in the food and process sectors. For the last 6 years, my consultancy business has been providing business support to SMEs and start-ups, along with developing digital assistive technologies that help eliminate the barriers that living with disability presents. My responsibilities include supporting SMEs in the St Helens area to achieve growth. A fun fact about me is that I was part of two start-ups that I helped to grow to +£10m machinery manufacturing businesses supplying the global food and process industries.
