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Welcome to our latest e-newsletter, which informs over 5,500 businesses and partners about the latest support available in the South Yorkshire region. In this edition, you will find out more about the great initiatives and schemes being delivered by SYMCA and its partners to help our local businesses to develop, grow and thrive. Read on to see whether your business could access help.
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Get in touch for business support advice…
The gateway team are here to talk and guide your business through whatever you may need; whether it’s an exciting business growth opportunity or helping your business to recover after the effects of the pandemic.
Our phonelines open at 9am Monday to Friday and our friendly team can help you to diagnose what support you may need. The Growth Hub can help steer you to programmes, schemes or one-to-one support on any of the following:
– Growth support –
– Access to finance –
– Brexit changes –
– COVID-19 recovery –
– Digitalisation –
– Employee ownership or worker cooperatives –
– Exporting and trade –
– Innovating your business or processes –
– Skills and workforce –
– Start-up businesses –
– Supply chain support and opportunities –
We want to help as many South Yorkshire businesses as possible to realise their full potential, so get in touch with us to hear how we can support you.
Call 03330 00 00 39 or email growthhub@southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk
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Get ready for Making Tax Digital!
VAT-registered businesses across South Yorkshire are being reminded to take the necessary steps to prepare for Making Tax Digital (MTD) before it becomes mandatory from 1 April this year.
MTD is part of the overall digitalisation of UK Tax and is designed to help businesses eliminate common errors and save time managing their tax affairs by submitting VAT returns digitally.
Since April 2019, businesses with a taxable turnover above £85,000 have already been required to follow MTD, keeping digital records and filing VAT returns using MTD compatible software – and thousands have reported benefits to making the move.
Now, HMRC is reminding businesses below the £85,000 threshold that their deadline to register is almost here and there are actions you need to take to be ready.
To sign up to MTD VAT, businesses, or an agent on a businesses’ behalf, need to:
Step 1: Visit GOV.UK and choose MTD-compatible software
Step 2: Keep digital records starting from 1 April 2022 or the beginning of their VAT period
Step 3: Sign up and submit their VAT Return through MTD.
To find further help and support, visit the link below.
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The Ownership Hub is launching soon!
The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority are delighted to be the first regional partner for the Ownership Hub, encouraging and supporting employee and worker ownership in your region. We will be working with Co-operatives UK and the Employee Ownership Association to raise awareness, develop training and deliver advice and expertise to create resilient and inclusive businesses that give employees a stake and a say.
If you are involved with a business and are thinking about converting to employee or worker ownership, a new start-up thinking about setting up a co-op, or a professional adviser who wants to know more, please visit the Ownership Hub website or contact: john.forbes@uk.coop or colette.harvey@southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk.
https://www.ownershiphub.uk/ |
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Got a new business idea? Pop by the Innovation Drop-In Clinics for help to make it a reality.
Do you have a business idea, process or product and need help to turn it into reality? Are you facing problems or issues that are blocking your way to growth or need access to specific expertise or staff?
Our Innovation Advisors, Dominic O’Connor and Nigel Trant, are on hand to help. Drop by their Innovation Support Clinics where you can discuss the various support schemes and programmes available through the Growth Hub to help you overcome these barriers and achieve success.
These SME programmes cover all sectors and a full range of issues from management systems, design, packaging, IT, security, sports, mechanical/electronic design/verification, materials, recyclables, engineering, arts, creative and environmental aspects to name a few.
Held from 9:30am – 12:30pm, the next Innovation Support Clinics will take place at:
- Century Business Centre, Manvers, Rotherham – 8th February
- Alison Business Centre, Sheffield – 10th February
Find out more here |
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Our new Supply Chain Support service is now live
Great news! SMEs across our region that may be facing difficulties sourcing products and services can now access free help and advice through our new South Yorkshire Supply Chain Support Scheme. The Scheme aims to enhance the trading opportunities within Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield and support SME businesses that have been impacted by COVID, Brexit or supply shortages.
Business owners can also meet with our team of four expert Supply Chain Managers who will research and bring forward tender, sales and supply chain opportunities for our region. The Managers can also provide one-to-one advice on how to improve your current supply chain performance and create new supply chains.
For more information and to access this support, visit our webpage.
South Yorkshire Suppliers, get involved in Feature Your Business Friday!
Suppliers across our region are being encouraged to join our South Yorkshire Supply Chain group on LinkedIn and get involved with our weekly thread, Feature Your Business Friday.
Through the thread our Supply Chain Managers are aiming to get businesses working even more closely together by sharing details of the products and services on our doorstep.
Join the South Yorkshire Supply Chain group on LinkedIn and send us a couple of sentences on what you do and your website or contact details. Click on the button below to take part.
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e-Commerce support for Barnsley businesses
If you’re a Barnsley based SME looking for support to help you build your business online How Do? is here to help!
Designed exclusively with Barnsley SMEs in mind, ‘How Do?’ is a virtual programme that offers access to over 30 hours of training – worth up to £10,000.
The training is led by ten e-Commerce specialists who will take you step-by-step through the process of successfully setting your business up online, and show you how to grow your sales through various digital channels.
The specialists are committed to helping you reach your full business potential and new levels of success and so will also be on hand to answer your questions in real-time and offer industry insights and advice.
Furthermore, How Do?’s team of experienced digital advisers are on-hand to help you recognise and plan for your full e-business potential, diagnosing your existing capabilities and connecting you to free one-to-one support from experienced e-Commerce consultants where required.
Whether you are new to e-Commerce or in need of further support to grow, this programme will give you the knowledge and skills you need to build a resilient retail business and enable it to grow.
Places are limited, so be quick! To find out more and register, visit https://eu.eventscloud.com/website/6417/.
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Boost your skills and profits with ‘Help to Grow’
Are you looking to boost skills, reach new customers or increase your profits? The Help to Grow business development programmes could be right up your street.
The programme consists of two parts, Help to Grow: Management and Help to Grow: Digital.
Help to Grow: Management
Delivered by the Sheffield Business School, Help to Grow: Management funds management and leadership training for SMEs, as well as mentoring and peer learning support to help upskill employees, business owners can also boost their strategic skills to increase long-term productivity, resilience and capacity to innovate.
Help to Grow: Digital
Launching in South Yorkshire in 2022, this scheme provides small and medium sized businesses with free advice on how technology can boost their performance. In addition, eligible businesses may also be able to access funding worth up to £5,000 to cover the cost of new, approved software to help them to go digital.
For more information, visit: https://helptogrow.campaign.gov.uk/ |
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Applications for the second MSDUK Accelerator cohort are now open!
MSDUK is working in partnership with Unilever, WPP, Google and Dow to empower diverse entrepreneurs to build their capacity and competencies to help them be part of their supply chains.
This is a 3-month cost and equity-free acceleration programme aimed to support ethnic minority owned businesses by connecting them with global brands and providing the holistic support from expert entrepreneurs in networking, mental resilience, and leadership.
Places are limited and the second COHORT starts APRIL 2022, so don’t miss out. Book onto the scheme below.
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Help us to build the best skills system in the UK here in South Yorkshire
The South Yorkshire Skills Accelerator is a new initiative to find out from businesses in the region what is stopping or delaying you from growing and advancing your workforce. Through a series of region-wide events, the SY Skills Accelerator team are inviting employers to contribute to the research by saying what is working, what barriers exist, and what should change.
So how can you help?
You can fill in the online survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/K8LRJWC or you could join the next event on 2nd March 2022.The Skills Accelerator Interactive Workshop is being held at the AMP Technology Centre, Advanced Manufacturing Park, Brunel Way, Rotherham S60 5WG. Please complete the booking form here. |
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Become an export expert!
The Export Academy gives businesses the knowledge and expertise to export. Learning directly from experts at the Department for International Trade, this free programme will help businesses to grow their international sales. Upskill and learn about what it takes to successfully sell to customers around the world with confidence, by joining a series of core modules which cover the basics of exporting along with other advanced workshops to further your export knowledge. Choose your workshops:
»» Identify Export Markets and Create an Export Action Plan
Tuesday 8 February 2022, 13:00 – 15:00
»» Selling Services Overseas
Thursday 10 February 2022, 13:00 – 14:30
»» Understanding Export Documentation
Thursday 17 February 2022, 13:00 – 15:00
»» Financing International Trade and Payment Terms
Tuesday 22 February 2022, 13:00 – 15:00
»» Incoterms, Shipping, and Customs Requirements
Thursday 24 February 2022, 13:00 – 15:00
Register for the events here: https://bit.ly/ExportAcademyinYH |
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