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1st July, 2022
Help to get you off to a flying start
"Get Started was the key to flexible working and setting up my own business"
You don’t have to be already in business and know exactly what you're doing to get help from Get Started; a new support scheme of fully-funded marketing and business planning support to help anyone thinking of working for themselves.
Adele Feeley owns and runs ‘Adele Assists’, a businesses offering virtual personal executive assistant services, ranging from diary management to creative services, which she set up around the needs of her family.
As a single mum, finding work was quite difficult, but after receiving the fully-funded accountancy help and support available from Get Started, Adele set up on her own.
She said: ‘’Because I’m a virtual based business, I can work from anywhere, but that wouldn't have happened without Get Started and the accountancy support they gave me.
The Get Started scheme gave me the knowledge and the confidence to do it, and now my business is growing all the time.’’
Watch: Adele’s story – Get Started help me set up my flexible virtual assistant business.
Did you know?
- Get Started has already helped over 200 people set up in business, helping them work around existing responsibilities. Watch the stories of just a few of them
- It’s part of the wider Staffordshire Means Back to Business scheme that brought partners together to support local businesses with an extra £3.4m during and after the pandemic.
- You don't have to be fully committed to your business to get help from Get Started. It's about helping you gain the knowledge and confidence you need to get on the right path or improve on what you've got already.
- You can still take advantage of the Get Started scheme even if you've already set up, as long as your business is less than two years old.
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You don't need to be brand new to business to get help from Get Started
 A local farmer's dream of building a thriving eco-friendly glamping business has taken off thanks to a fully-funded website from Get Started
Tabitha and Steve Cartmail have seen a sharp rise in the number of enquiries for their stunning glamping accommodation after a fully-funded upgrade paid for by the county council's Get Started scheme.
They also received a bespoke package of support and networking to make what they'd already got better.
Tabitha said: "I wouldn't have been able to afford the cost of what I needed to make everything the best I could be without Get Started."
Watch: Tabitha's diversification story
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Apprentices graduate thanks to businesses across the county
 ''From a business perspective its about re-skilling and up-skilling the bespoke skills you need for the future''
Over 100 apprentices from businesses across Staffordshire graduated this week at a ceremony at the Staffordshire County Showground.
Ranging from business administration apprentices and database analysts to Level 7 (Master's degree level) metal fabricatiors, apprentices of all ages and disciplines marked the end of their official training, and for almost all, their continued employment with their company.
For those businesses, it means that they have grown the next generation of their workforce with the bespoke skills they need for the future. Apprenticeship training is available from all local colleges and universities.
The number of businesses taking on apprentices has soared recently as people look for ways to grow their business for the long-term.
As part of the Staffordshire Means Back to Business programme, SCC and partners have already funded over 400 apprentices in businesses across Staffordshire. A few grants of up to £5,000 are still available to businesses based in the Newcastle-under-Lyme area.
WATCH: How are apprentices in Staffordshire supporting businesses?
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