Make It York Business Support Services

Business Support Services

Welcome Make It York, the city’s Destination Management Organisation, has a clear ambition to develop and market the city as a world-class destination to live, visit, work, study and do business. Our work covers leisure and business tourism, city centre management, festivals and events, business support and inward investment.

These include start up and growth advice, training and recruitment support, access to finance, property search, international trade and business innovation.

Operating under our business brands of Science City York, York Means Business and VisitYork4Meetings, we are here to help York businesses grow and to encourage new start-ups.

Our key aim is to ensure that businesses can get the help they need, when they need it. We offer a comprehensive information and signposting service and can help businesses navigate the complex support arena to access a wide range of services.

This booklet summarises the range of business support services that Make It York can deliver. If you think we can be of assistance, no matter what your business needs, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

We are also committed to attracting new business to the city and offer a tailored inward investment support service for those looking to locate in York.

We look forward to working with you,

Andrew Sharp Head of Business Make It York

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Starting Up Whatever your idea, age or situation, a key part of establishing your own business is finding the right place to go for support and advice.

We can help you navigate the complex support arena to access a wide range of services, including advisors, funders, mentors, workshops, property search and training. charles.storr@makeityork.com

Shambles Market The Shambles Market is an attractive, historic and vibrant city market nestled in the heart of York’s lively shopping area. Many successful companies started out with market stalls and it still remains a fantastic, low cost option to start your retail business. As a self-employed trader you can enjoy working in a friendly environment and amongst like-minded people, while selling products you’re passionate about, or perhaps products you have made yourself. If you are interested in taking a market stall, test trading or just want to use the space, come and talk to us. chris.price@makeityork.com

Growing Your Business As your business develops, finding the right place to go for support and advice is key. We can help you to find the advice, guidance, and expertise you need to take your business to the next level. jo.burgess@makeityork.com

www.yorkmeansbusiness.co.uk

Access To Finance Whether through improved sales, technology, new strategic partnerships, acquisition or exporting, when the time comes to grow your business you need to secure the right finance to achieve the best results. Within York and across Yorkshire there is a range of start-up finance, grants, venture capital funding and business angel schemes available plus a range of products and services from the high street banks. If you would like to explore your options, our Access to Finance specialist is here to help you find the right funding. simon.middleton@makeityork.com

Skills & Training Investment in skills and training is a critical part of keeping your business ahead of the competition, keeping you compliant, improving your productivity and motivating your team as they continue their development. We can help you identify the right solution for your business, helping you to increase productivity and grow your bottom line. jo.burgess@makeityork.com

Going Digital Superfast and Ultrafast broadband has the potential to completely transform the way business is done. The average UK business will need 10 times their current bandwidth within the next five years.

We can help you identify and pick up the digital know-how you need to make the most of the internet, attract new customers and grow your business. charles.storr@makeityork.com

www.yorkmeansbusiness.co.uk

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Business Support Services

International Trade York is ideally placed at the heart of the UK with fast and efficient routes to Europe and beyond. If your business model includes exporting or if you are thinking about starting to export, we can help you access the support and guidance to help your business grow globally. charles.storr@makeityork.com

Inward Investment York’s knowledge-driven economy is amongst the strongest in the UK with innovation concentrated around industrial bio-tech, agri-tech and hi-tech rail, sitting alongside thriving retail, tourism, digital/IT and financial and insurance sectors. If you are from outside the area and thinking about setting up your business in York, or are an existing business in York and ready to expand, we can help. christine.hogan@makeityork.com

Property With highly competitive rates and new commercial property developments in progress across York, we can help you find the best property for your business to locate and grow. With an up-todate live feed of York’s available commercial property, we offer a comprehensive search facility, allowing you to find the right property for your business. charles.storr@makeityork.com

www.yorkmeansbusiness.co.uk

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Share My Office Working in partnership with Share My Office, we have created a bespoke website devoted to matching up businesses with extra space and those who are looking to rent space. Share My Office York makes it easy to share office and business premises. Please contact us at business@makeityork.com if you require some help listing your available space on the site. york.sharemyoffice.co.uk

Industry Development We are working with key growth industries to support their development.

We facilitate business networks in a number of key areas and can help you access valuable peer to peer support and put you in touch with like-minded companies. charles.storr@makeityork.com or heather.niven@makeityork.com

Innovation The ability to innovate in your business through new technology, research and development is a crucial part of growth. Whatever your big idea for a new product or service we can help you access the right mix of facilities, technology and resources to make it happen. heather.niven@makeityork.com

www.yorkmeansbusiness.co.uk

Seminars & Events Programme Throughout the year we organise a business friendly suite of conferences, seminars and workshops designed to help you meet your company’s ambitions and to encourage networking. For further information please see www.yorkmeansbusiness.co.uk. charles.storr@makeityork.com

Navigating Council Services We know that running a business can bring you into contact with many services provided by City of York Council. If you would like help finding the right contact please get in touch. charles.storr@makeityork.com

Unesco City of Media Arts York is the UK’s first UNESCO City of Media Arts in recognition of the city’s creative talent and collective ambition. To find out more about the benefits of designation to your business and to keep up to date with the latest news from the sector get in touch at: everyone@cityofmediaarts.com

www.yorkmeansbusiness.co.uk

10 Business Support Services

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Science City York Science City York provides support to Creative, IT & Digital, and Bioscience businesses through brokering connections, encouraging innovation, enabling collaboration and accelerating business development. heather.niven@makeityork.com | www.scy.co.uk

Visit York Under the brand Visit York, Make It York markets the city and surroundings as a must-see world-class destination and aims to increase investment to develop the quality of tourism in York. Talk to us about becoming a Visit York member. pj.edgar@makeityork.com | www.visityork.org

VisitYork4meetings Hosting a conference or event in York will raise the profile of your business, lead to new contacts and partnerships and help your business gain national and international exposure. VisitYork4Meetings offers local venue knowledge, event planning expertise and impartial advice. laura.freer@makeityork.com | www.visityork4meetings.com

Andrew Sharp Head of Business | Make It York andrew.sharp@makeityork.com 01904 555766

Business Support Enquires: 01904 554400 business@makeityork.com

Charles Storr Business Support Services Manager charles.storr@makeityork.com 01904 555563

Christine Hogan Business Development Executive – Inward Investment christine.hogan@makeityork.com 01904 555343

Chris Price City Centre & Markets Manager chirs.price@makeityork.com 01904 554667

Laura Freer Business Tourism Marketing Manager laura.freer@makeityork.com 01904 554453

Heather Niven Head of Science City York heather.niven@makeityork.com 01904 554284

Jo Burgess SME Growth Manager jo.burgess@makeityork.com 01904 554694

Simon Middleton Access to Finance Manager simon.middleton@makeityork.com 01904 551829

Chris Bush Business Development Executive - Small Business & Start-up Chris.Bush@makeityork.com 01904 550092

If you are interested in any of these opportunities, or would like more information, please get in touch.

Make It York | 1 Museum Street YO1 7DT business@makeityork.com www.yorkmeansbusiness.co.uk www.scy.co.uk www.visityork.org www.visityork4meetings.com

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