BD 05/07 - 21 May 2007

The Barking & Dagenham Small Business Centre (BDSBC) has been inundated with enquiries from people seeking advice on starting up in business since the office opened at the beginning of this year.

Enquiries are running at an average of 250 a month and show little sign of slowing down as the Centre steps up its marketing activity.

Deanna Vinton, pre -start advisor at the Centre, whose Longbridge Road offices were opened formally in May by Barking & Dagenham, Mayor, Councillor Dee Hunt, said:

“We have been really encouraged by the interest being shown by local residents in the services we provide to help them to start up in business.”

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Coun. Hunt said that she was impressed by the range of services and training being provided by the Centre. She continued:

“This Centre is just what the borough needs. I think this is excellent and I wish all of the staff at BDSBC continued success with your great work”

BDSBC is a division of the East London Small Business Centre whose chief executive, Tim Heath, told the large number of guests at the opening ceremony that since the start of the year, 489 clients had accessed the Centre’s business counselling service and 46 businesses had actually started trading.

“This level of enquiry demonstrates that there is a real interest from the borough’s residents in finding out more about how they can set up and run their own businesses. They can obtain advice from us free of charge and we can also provide initial finance to get the business off the ground,” he said.

A key feature of the service provided by the Centre is a free four day business training course entitled ‘ Be your own boss’ which more than 100 clients have now completed. 

The Centre’s team of experienced business counsellors is able to help would-be entrepreneurs to work through their business ideas and resolve any problems which they may experience.

Deanna Vinton explained:

“We are very much a one stop shop providing a range of free business support services from initial training through to one – to –one counselling and also finance. New businesses qualify for a £1000 grant and a further £2000 grant is available to anyone who has been receiving incapacity benefit and starts up in business. So far we have been able to award £50k in grants to individuals who have met the criteria and started trading.”

Barking & Dagenham Small Business Centre is supported by Barking & Dagenham Enterprises and the Barking & Dagenham Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI).