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Free business support for new start-ups in Coventry and Warwickshire extended to 2023

A free business support scheme for new start-ups in Coventry and Warwickshire has been extended until 2023 – ahead of Small Business Saturday.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce has run the Business Start Up Programme since 2019.

Over the three years it has supported over 400 new businesses through workshops, masterclasses, and one-to-one mentoring from experienced business coaches.

The scheme is part of the CW Business: Start, Grow and Scale Programme which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and the 5 Warwickshire District and Borough councils.

Hardeep Sandhu, Enterprise Manager at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “The Business Start-Up Programme can provide vital help, support and guidance in those difficult first few months and the news that the funding has been extended until 2023 means we can support even more people make that transition to running their own business.

“We know first-hand how challenging starting a business can be and are delighted to know that our experienced team have been able to contribute to so many success stories, whether that’s providing a sounding board for ideas, answering practical or technical questions, or up-skilling knowledge.”

Ramy Sabri is one of the most recent participants of the programme after taking over The Village Café in Bulkington in May, and as a result of the support he is already drawing up expansion plans.

The 32-year-old bought the well-known café after an 18-year career in hospitality, during which time he ran restaurants at a number of top hotels in the UK and mainland Europe, including one that held a Michelin Star.

Under his ownership The Village Café has five staff, including his wife and brother-in-law, and is serving almost 500 customers a week in the café and through deliveries.

Ramy said: “My business Advisor from the Chamber, Rita Booth, has given me some valuable insights into marketing and how to make incremental decisions to help grow the business, and has encouraged me to experiment which I’m doing with extra opening hours.

“It’s been extremely important to be able to talk to someone who will question and challenge what I’m doing.

“My long-term plan is to grow this into a chain of café and coffee shops, and I’m already looking at a second location. I’m also working with someone who Rita introduced me to to build a website that will mean we can start to manage our own online orders and deliveries, which as a result of the lockdown is a growing part of the business.”

Ramy accessed support through the CW Business: Start, Grow and Scale project which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Warwickshire County Council, and the county’s five district and borough councils.

Mirani De Silva has set up Paradise Tea, a unique tea subscription business, from her home in Tile Hill, Coventry, after spotting a gap in the market for Sri Lankan Pure Ceylon tea.

The tea is known for its distinct flavour and antioxidants, but Ms De Silva, 49, found it hard to come by in the UK after moving to the UK from Sri Lanka in 2008 She began importing shipments from her hometown of Colombo at the end of last year with the help of Business Start-Up Programme, and signed up her first customer in July.

Mirani said: “The help I have been given by the Chamber has been enormous. “My Advisor, Sarah Humphreys, has helped me with promoting Paradise Tea on social platforms, guided me through each step and has always been there to give advice when I needed it.

“Without her support and guidance, I do not think I would be here now.” Mirani accessed support through Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Start-Up Business Start Up Programme, part of the Coventry & Warwickshire Business Support Programme, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .