Braintree District Council launches a series of workshops in support of businesses

Attendees of the workshop

"We believe the sessions will support small businesses with their ambitions and plans as well as encourage growth and improve prosperity."

Braintree District Council kick starts the new year with a series of free workshops in support of local businesses.

The Plaza, the new centre for enterprise and innovation in Great Notley, held the first in a series of workshops last week.

Small business joined organisers for a session on ‘trading out of the cost-of-living crisis’.

The cost-of-living crisis is affecting businesses everywhere and findings from research suggest that businesses need support in dealing with the pressures.

The first workshop dealt with the issues around the cost-of-living crisis and explored strategies for growth and ways in which businesses can access new markets, develop product families and control cash flow.

Businesses also used the opportunity to network and socialise.

Graham Broughton from The Consortium arranged and ran the workshop. Graham is a business expert who works exclusively with established small businesses, start-ups and sole traders.

Founder member of The Consortium, Graham Broughton, commented: "We were delighted to collaborate with the Council on this exclusive workshop. Our workshops tackle the everyday issues that businesses face. We have worked with hundreds of Essex businesses and have recently designed several impactful workshops which combine expert advice and tactical tools, together with real case study examples.”

Cllr Tom Cunningham, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Growth at Braintree District Council, said: “We used the feedback from a recent survey to establish the topics and what we should focus on for these workshops. We believe the sessions will support small businesses with their ambitions and plans as well as encourage growth and improve prosperity. The Plaza is a great venue for the sharing and learning of ideas.”

This project has received £18K from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The Plaza is home to 42 private offices, a co-working space and conference and event facilities.

The next workshop is published on www.braintree.gov.uk/workshops.

Published: 23rd January 2023