Belper Business Support
Business Support in the Amber Valley
Are you looking to set up your own business in Belper or the Amber Valley? Not sure where to start with the business support you could receive? Jo, our Founder, recently went through the journey of starting her own business with Reunion and found out about lots of different support available throughout Belper, the Amber Valley and the wider area. Below Jo has listed some of the support you can find to save you some time!
Jo with some Reunion @ Hub Space coworkers
”When I first started thinking about Reunion I was pretty clueless about what support might be available to me. The key thing to say here is that funding and support come and go quite quickly, but below I’ve tried to list the main organisations that provide free business support or grants and funding for your new business.
Almost all of the organisations below also offer support to existing businesses too, so they’re worth looking into if you’ve been around a while too!”
If you are an organisation that supports businesses but aren’t on the list, send us an email and we can put you on there!
Reunion Belper
Reunion Belper provides lots of support to new and existing businesses. We run Coworking Tuesdays each week at the deli. We also offer regular networking events and will be offering business learning & training events in the near future to provide further support. Stay up to date with events by joining our newsletter here.
Amber Valley District Council
Amber Valley were really supportive when I was starting Reunion. They gave me financial support with a ‘Vision Derbyshire’ Grant, and within that I had a designated Business Advisor who was so helpful in directing me to the right people. Amber Valley have a designated page for business grants here.
University of Derby
The University of Derby have a huge range of support available from funded internships, grants, business consultancy, leadership programmes and so much more! The breadth of information can get overwhelming, so I recommend dropping them an email to get dedicated support for your new or existing business.
Marketing Derby
Marketing Derby work to promote businesses in the city, and they also have an Invest in Derbyshire website where you can find out so much information about local suppliers, business support in the region and much more. Similar to the University of Derby, it’s worth sending them an email to see how they can support you. Marketing Derby also run the Derby Food & Drink Awards, where Reunion Deli have been shortlisted for ‘Best Newcomer’ - fingers crossed we win!
Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire
Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire are a sister organisation of Marketing Derby, and are a similar structure as them where they support ‘Bondholders’ who may a yearly fee to be included in their marketing and on their website. They also run a range of grants.
D2N2 Growth Hub
D2N2 Growth Hub are run through the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce and have a brilliant website where you can find lots of national and regional support for your business, whether you’re a start up or existing business! They also run a series of start up courses called the ‘D2 Business Starter Programme’ for people who are thinking of starting their own organisations. Each seminar covers a different element like marketing, legal, finances etc., and you also receive a dedicated business advisor. It’s a great course!
Derbyshire County Council
I didn’t receive specific support from Derbyshire County Council but they often have really good knowledge about what is happening in the area in terms of advice and support. You can see more info about their business support on their website here.
Nottingham University
I personally didn’t receive support from Nottingham University but I know that they do offer a range of support for businesses. Have a look at their dedicated business support page here.
Belper Town Council
Dave & Maggie (our Community Builder)
We are super lucky in Belper to have such a supportive Town Council! You can get in touch with Dave here, who is the Economic Development Officer for Belper Town Council. The council have been really supportive and Dave has been a great source of information.
NBV
NBV are a business support organisation that works across the East Midlands to provide support and funding, as well as running training events and projects to support businesses. You can find out about many of their initiatives on their website here.
Love Belper
If you’re starting a retail business, Love Belper is a great thing to get involved with, and is a peer to peer network of other local retailers who put on events and initiatives to support independent businesses in Belper. Join the Facebook group for more information about meetings, events to be involved with much more.