South Hams and West Devon Councils Business Update

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23 June 2020

Start-Up Business School Launched

Business training

Free Online Business School for Start-Ups launches in West Devon & South Hams.

South West Devon entrepreneurs of the future are being offered FREE places on an acclaimed workshop to turn their hobbies and dreams into a business.

We have partnered with the hugely popular PopUp Business School to help would-be start-ups to get their ideas off the ground this July.

Designed to inspire people and help them find the confidence to try their ideas, the PopUp Business School is aimed at everyone, from those with no cash and no business experience to fledgling start-ups that need guidance to keep on track.

Cllr Neil Jory

Cllr Neil Jory, Leader of West Devon Borough Council, said: “It’s a very challenging time for businesses which is why it’s crucial to offer this support through the PopUp Business School. They offer excellent practical advice to existing businesses and to new ones too.  On the training, you will get advice on growing your business, using marketing, websites and social media and also the legal information you need to progress. It’s free and well worth signing up for.”

PopUp’s events are led by successful entrepreneurs and professionals and can be very sought after, with events regularly attracting over 100 aspiring business owners.

Cllr Hilary Bastone

Cllr Hilary Bastone, South Hams District Council’s Deputy Leader, said: “We’re delighted to team up with the PopUp Business School to offer free places on their business courses. This is a real opportunity to get professional advice on how to progress both start-ups and established businesses wanting to develop further and make a real impact in a difficult marketplace.”

The online training schedule includes a mix of practical sessions, one-to-one coaching, workshop sessions and local peer support that local residents can attend from their homes. 

While the team has a great track record of inspiring new businesses, they also introduce and talk about a range of work-focused skills aimed at helping people improve their job prospects, even if setting up their own business is a step too far.

The PopUp Business School welcomes people of all ages who are thinking about self-employment. Whether you are at the beginning of your start-up journey, or an already established business looking for new ways to grow and adapt, the course aims to provide the information, inspiration and practical advice to teach you how to build and evolve your business.

Click here for more information or to book a free place.  

Pop-Up Business School

Environmental Health Webinars

Mobile devices

Our Environmental Health and Licensing team hosted two webinars advising retail businesses on compliance with COVID-19 and Health and Safety regulations for safely restarting their businesses. Over 70 attendees attended the webinars that received some good feedback from local retail business owners.

We also hosted a webinar event from licensed premises with our partners, Night time economy solutions. This webinar was aimed at those licensed businesses in the hospitality industry and provided advice on how to re-start a licensed premises trading under COVID-19 restrictions.

The webinar, that was recorded, and will be posted on the Councils' website shortly, provided helpful and friendly advice on how to comply with the Government's requirements in preparation for the anticipated opening in July.


Dartmoor NP Covid Business Survey

Dartmoor

Dear Business Owners

Thank you for you continued support and feedback. 

As promised we are now launching Round 2 of the Dartmoor Covid Business Survey.  We would be really keen for you to complete this, whether you completed the survey previously or not.  Things are changing rapidly, and the ability to track concerns, confidence and issues is really important both for our own work supporting you, and the messages we pass to up the chain, including to government departments.

You will notice that this time there is an additional question, exploring a potential ‘Made In…’ initiative, too. 

COMPLETE THE SURVEY

Whilst writing, as many of you are facing the challenge of re-opening, you may find useful the Better Business for All (BBfA) partnership Covid-19 Toolkit to help guide you to restarting your business safely – Covid-19 Toolkit. Hopefully you also found our planning guidance helpful, too.  

The average time to complete was just 9 minutes! Also, if you have completed it previously, you do not need to give us all your contact details again, just the name of your business.

The deadline to complete the survey is 5 pm Monday 29 June

Many thanks, 

Dan Janota 

Head of Forward Planning and Economy

Dartmoor National Park Authority