The New Forest Business Boost programme
Business Boost is a dedicated, bespoke and free programme specifically created for businesses to improve productivity and support their business resilience and growth.
The New Forest Business Boost Programme is being delivered by University of Portsmouth and New Forest District Council.
To see how we collect and process your personal data in relation to the Business Boost Programme visit the Business Boost privacy policy.
Background
The New Forest 'Businesses Boost' Programme is supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within a collaborative project between Isle of Wight Council (The Lead Partner) and New Forest District Council called 'Rural Productivity Hubs and Spokes'.
New Forest 'Business Boost' is aimed at improving the productivity of businesses through a programme of short courses and mentoring support.
There is no cost to participating businesses, except a commitment to attend 12 hours of workshop and mentoring sessions, over the two months of your selected Cohort.
What is New Forest Business Boost?
Business Boost will provide key support to your business, directly improving your productivity and resilience, leading to growth. The programme will also help prepare businesses for successful applications to other nationally funded programmes.
Business Boost will give you access to:
- a high intensity lecture/workshop programme following a key topic/subject theme
- peer workshops to discuss aspects of the content relevant to the group and time to see how your business peers are seeking to action insights from the course
- business mentoring to make the content precisely relevant to your context and to work on specific business issues, leading to:
- a personal action plan to make immediate positive improvements to your business
The Curriculum
Business Boost will focus on the subject of 'Business Growth and Resilience', covering the following elements:
- identifying ways to grow your business
- identifying strategies to make your business more resilient
- understanding how your resources can be leveraged for business growth
- consider how resources can be used to make your business more resilient
- understanding how you can finance your business for growth
- consider how marketing can help your business grow
- combining finance and marketing for growth
- how to source finance
- using social media to grow your business
- resilient business models
- using sustainability for growth
- combining resilience and sustainability
- increasing resilience for growth
- creating strategies for sustainability
The University of Portsmouth's industry-practitioners will deliver the subjects through a combination of workshop sessions and one-to-one mentoring.
Programme dates
There are two locations to attend the programme:
Please note participating businesses must commit to attend each of the sessions over the two months of your selected Cohort.
| Cohort 1 - delivered at Greyfriars in Ringwood | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of workshop | Time | 1:1 mentoring sessions will take place between: |
| Workshop 1: 8 February 2023 | 1pm - 4pm | 9 - 21 February 2023 |
| Workshop 2: 22 February 2023 | 1pm - 4pm | 23 February - 7 March 2023 |
| Workshop 3: 8 March 2023 | 1pm - 4pm | 9 - 21 March 2023 |
Action plan session: 22 March 2023 | 1pm - 4pm |
| Cohort 2 - delivered at Hanger Farm in Totton | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of workshop | Time | 1:1 mentoring sessions will take place between: |
| Workshop 1: 19 April 2023 | 1pm - 4pm | 20 April - 2 May 2023 |
| Workshop 2: 3 May 2023 | 1pm - 4pm | 4 - 16 May 2023 |
| Workshop 3: 17 May 2023 | 1pm - 4pm | 18 - 30 May 2023 |
| Action plan session: 31 May 2023 | 1pm - 4pm |
How to apply
Businesses wishing to take part should register their interest using this form on the Portsmouth University website.
Register your interest in The New Forest Business Boost Programme
After eligibility checks and approval is given, participants will be allocated to a relevant cohort.
Further information
This programme is being delivered on our behalf by the University of Portsmouth
Please contact the Business Support team at the University of Portsmouth using the email address below, if you have any questions or queries about the Business Boost Programme.
Email: businesssupport@port.ac.uk
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