Dorset businesses offered free help through crises from Dorset Chamber

Dorset Chamber and Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) are offering fully-funded business growth groups aimed at businesses with up to 250 staff.

The online groups are for business owners, directors and senior managers. They cover topics including growth strategies, financial resilience, recruitment and retention, leadership and management and net-zero solutions.

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Dorset Chamber chief executive Ian Girling said: “Dorset is home to 52,000 businesses and they are facing a unique economic storm that tests the mettle of even the most proficient of senior management teams.

“Firms, however well run they are, and having emerged intact from the pandemic, must deal with difficult challenges which require the same kind of resilience.

“From the corrosive impact of record-high inflation – 10.1 per cent – on profitability and staff salaries, along with supply chain issues, acute labour and skills shortages, talent poaching, rising borrowing costs and a flatlining UK economy, compounded by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine causing all sorts of negative consequences from energy prices to trade, the headwinds keep on coming.

“In partnership with Dorset LEP, the Business Growth Groups programme will help business owners, directors and senior managers better steer through these rough waters.”

Each session will be limited to 12 participants and each participant will have two confidential, virtual one-to-one sessions to help focus on the challenges in their own business to ensure they get the most from the programme.

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There will also be an opportunity to attend a session on business growth potential through international trade and advice on how to take the first steps in exploring new markets.

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Mr Girling added: “The programme is open to businesses in all sectors and we particularly welcome applications from businesses in marine, maritime, advanced engineering, manufacturing, defence and security, agritech, aquaculture and digital health and care.

“We are also keen to welcome businesses with an interest in automation, ‘one health’, net zero and businesses that are growth ready.”

To express an interest, visit dorsetchamber.co.uk/business-growth-groups-form