Useful Business Organisations

The FSB is focussed on helping smaller businesses achieve their ambitions. Established 45 years ago, FSB is the UK’s largest grassroots business campaigning group, which ensures the voice of small businesses is heard at the highest level across the UK, as well as providing business services and products to their members.

They have a Coronavirus (COVID-19) section offering specific advice and guidance for small businesses and the self-employed including a series of useful watch on demand webinars.  Find out more here >>>

Since lockdown began, Business Gateway has spoken with business owners of all sizes and from across industry, who have been adversely affected by the coronavirus crisis. 

Business Gateway is a service available to all businesses regardless of life stage or size. Amongst a whole host of services they support start-ups, self-employed practitioners and micro-businesses, as well as larger companies with premises and employees. One of the key benefits they bring is the provision of access to leading industry experts.

Business Gateway are about to launch a new service in Tayside for all businesses affected by Coronavirus.  Covid-19 Survive & Thrive aims to help businesses navigate through the coming months and the challenges ahead. 

The new service will provide clients with a minimum of seven hours of support tailored to the needs of their business, including: understanding current business position, reshaping products or services, adopting changes to reflect market demand, considering new ways of delivery of products and services and identifying opportunities for diversification.  

Visit www.bgateway.com/coronavirus-business-support-across-scotland for the latest news and information.

GrowBiz, the community-based enterprise support service for rural businesses who have a unique set of challenges on an ongoing basis, is providing a range of information and support services for small and micro-businesses in rural Perth & Kinross:

Phone or online (Zoom) sessions with individuals: These are customised to needs of business. GrowBiz has a team of experienced enterprise facilitators and specialists available and can organise phone calls or online sessions at a time to suit the individual enterprise.

Online learning and networking sessions: These cover a range of business subjects and are open to everyone. March events are available online here. 

They provide trained mentors: Please ask about this excellent service.

Information channels: Growbiz will keep their website, social media channels and smart village hub updated with useful information.

If you’re a rural business and need someone to talk to, get in touch with the GrowBiz team and they’ll arrange for one of their enterprise facilitators to call you. They can be contacted in one of three ways: 

• Phone to leave a message: 01828 627790
• Complete the contact form on their website: www.growbiz.co.uk/contact

Send an email to: [email protected]

Helping businesses manage the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) is, as you would imagine, the key focus of Scottish Enterprise at this moment. They are working closely with partners to develop a single, joined-up response across Scotland’s enterprise and skills agencies, delivering the Scottish Government’s commitment to do all we can to safeguard jobs, livelihoods and businesses.

Ask questions on their Twitter (https://twitter.com/scotent), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/scottishenterprise) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/scottish-enterprise) pages . The team are available every weekday from 9 am to 5 pm to find the answers you need. 

You can also visit the Find Business Support website for advice on business disruption, tax rates, employee support and more.

Contact them for more information >>>

Perthshire Chamber of Commerce (PCC) is an independent, voluntary, non-profit making, non-political business membership organisation. Their focus is on championing the issues that matter to their members, helping promote and protect the interests of local businesses and the economic future and communities of Perthshire.

They represent local companies ranging from global operators and recognised household names to one person home-based businesses and urban and rural smaller and medium enterprises.

Perthshire Chamber of Commerce is offering free initial three months’ membership to new members as part of their drive to extend business support services across the region during COVID-19. 

Existing members will also benefit with 15 months’ membership rather than the normal 12 months being offered when they renew. Find Out more And Join >>>

The membership drive is part of a new initiative to help take businesses through the recovery process due to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Recovery and Resilience programme, which is expected to be launched in the next three weeks, will include contributors from key sectors, and large and small businesses across urban and rural Perthshire.

It will be focused on new opportunities, ideas generation and strategic planning to help the region’s businesses transition to the “new normal” as the country examines how to move out of the lockdown.

For more information, see their website here >>>