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Careers
3 organisations you need to know about if you’re thinking of starting or growing a business
By Amy Davidson
4 years ago
Brought to you by Mastercard
From where you can hone your digital skills to finding the events to boost your networking…
So you’ve got a brilliant business idea, you’ve put together a rough plan, and you’re ready to get it off the ground. Now what?
A lot of starting your own business, or growing the one you already have, comes down to having the right tools and knowing the right people to help you get there.
However according to a recent study, 39% of small business owners feel overwhelmed by choice when it comes to digital tools while half want to speak to other business owners like them when making changes to their business.
That’s why the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth launched Strive UK, an initiative that connects people with brilliant business ideas with organisations that can give them the digital technology and skills to make it happen.
Here are three organisations working with Strive UK that you should have on your radar…
1. To increase your productivity
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and a business will take a hell of a lot longer to build if your productivity is lagging.
Be The Business is an independent not-for-profit organisation that’s trying to counteract the fact that the UK is lagging behind comparable nations when it comes to productivity.
Its mantra is that by improving the performance of small business leaders, everyone benefits.
Be The Business provides everything from free tools and templates to boost your productivity to mentorship opportunities to keep you accountable.
It’s working with Strive to offer free mentoring, technology support and an initiative that links small business owners with an advisory board of experienced business executives for support and insight.
Time to close Instagram and get working on that business plan.
2. To refine your digital skills
If you need a little help when it comes to upskilling on the digital side of things, you need Digital Boost on your radar.
It’s a community of digital professionals set on helping out small businesses and charities to bring them up to scratch and improve their revenues.
The organisation’s team of digital experts can help out with things including digital marketing, design and branding, business strategy, e-commerce, data analytics and more.
It’s just the organisation to help you get your business online and in front of as many people as possible.
The good news is as part of its work with Strive, Digital Boost are offering three invaluable services: 1:1 mentoring, masterclasses and workshops, and a free resource library to help build your business.
3. To stay informed
Enterprise Nation is a helpful community of small businesses and business advisers whose purpose is to get people interested in starting their own business the resources, expertise, and connections to help get it right.
In practise, that takes the shape of support given at a selection of events held up and down the UK as well as a dynamic online platform that connects you to answers and advisers quickly.
With upcoming events including small business meet-ups to pick each others brains, social media clinics, and workshops on how to create a disruptive business model, there’s bound to be something to help you get off the ground.
Better still, it’s working with Strive and can get to know your business before giving you personalised feedback and helping you build an action plan.
Strive UK can help you make your business idea a reality. An initiative of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, it’s dedicated to supporting the resilience of Britain’s entrepreneurs, connecting them with the right digital technology and skills tailored to their business.
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