Business Toolkit launched by Chamber president

We have launched an online toolkit to support micro to medium sized businesses with the complexity of day-to-day management and growth. Inspired by the pledge of new president Suzanne Watson to help Bradford district’s micro and SME businesses and responding to the latest report published by the think tank the IPPR (1) which reveals that productivity problems are acute in the north, the Chamber’s Toolkit for Business Support is being created using the experiences and expertise of current members and will be accessed through the Chamber’s website. Through a series of monthly themes from managing cash flow to understanding mental health responsibilities, local businesses will be able to access top tips, blogs, case studies and videos that will advise and signpost business owners to the information they need. Suzanne, who began her role as Bradford Chamber President in July, is the founder and managing director of Approach PR, an eight-strong Ilkley-based public relations consultancy formed in 2001. “During almost two decades of running a micro business I know just how challenging and sometimes isolating running a business can be,” she said. “The temptation can be to just keep ploughing on because we feel we don’t have the time to share, talk and research – but this can be at the risk of impacting on our productivity. “By focusing every month on a key topic that can present challenges for business such as skills and people, IT, property, finance and export, we are creating relatable, accessible and valuable content for micro to medium sized businesses which may otherwise slip below the radar because they’re not considered ‘high growth’.” The recent IPPR report reveals that northern SMEs are worst affected by productivity challenges. It states that offering the right kind of support to small businesses could boost their productivity in the Northern Powerhouse area and add as much as £23 billion per year to the economy. Suzanne added: “Bradford Chamber’s Business Support Toolkit kickstarts this month with ‘finance’ including top tips from Bradford-based chartered accountants Naylor Wintersgill followed by ‘going global’ in September and ‘skills and people’ in October. The content we provide will be meaningful and relevant because it is provided by the people – the very businesses – who are living and breathing, surviving and thriving through these challenges themselves. “That’s what makes this such an exciting and rewarding process – we’re supporting each other by sharing our knowledge helping to facilitate the next chapter in the progression and productivity of Bradford’s thriving business community.” The Chamber’s Business Support Toolkit can be found here