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Wise Owls Business Support

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Access to finance | Business start-up training | Business start-up on-line | Business loans | Market Place | Information and links | Business research | Equalities and Diversity | Train to gain |  Advertisement

Access to finance

This is a service financed by Business Link 4 London, who receive funding for this from the London Development Agency and from the European Union. We are able to offer five days of business consultancy and mentoring for any existing or start–up small or medium enterprise at a cost 80% subsidised by Business Link.

This advice comprises of an initial diagnostic session which results in an agreed action plan for both you, the client, and for us, the consultants. Following that we provide four days of intensive consultation and mentoring support, enabling you the client to get all the targeted help you need in the areas of importance to you. We will then use the most appropriate, skilled and qualified experts registered with us to provide the specific support you need. this is all geared towards helping you to successfully apply for finance to start up, continue, develop or expand your business. We will help you to produce business plans, financial, marketing, ICT and/or other needed plans, strategies and documents to present to potential sources of finance which we will help you locate.

This service costs £400 per day (a reduced rate on our normal commercial consultancy daily fee of £500) and this is then 80n per cent subsidised by Business Link, meaning that you only pay £80 per day for this service. Any one interested in this please email by clicking here

  • For non-registered business start ups and business start ups operating outside the subsidised area

    Wise Owls provides face-to-face business start up support for clients from Hackney whom we are funded to assist. For other client groups we offer an 'Access to Finance' support facility, in conjunction with Business Link. This service is offered at an 80% reduction with the client paying the additional 20%: £80 per day maximum, subject to negotiation on the basis of your situation. This service can only be offered to registered businesses which have started to trade (including pilot business operations).

    For unregistered Business Start Ups from outside the Hackney area we offer an internet-based support service starting with a basic business plan which you can enter online after applying online. Wise Owls can then provide a full NVQ level 3 in Business Start Up which includes a business plan, on-line support and registration and certification with the ILM at a cost of £499.

    We can also provide low-interest Prime Loans to people aged over 50 who have a satisfactory business plan and can gain acceptance for their proposal from our loan panel. We are also able to provide an initial assessment of the applicant's draft plans and to monitor progress after the grant has been awarded. In order to benefit from the support available you should be registered as self employed with the New Deal 50 Plus which would entitle you to additional financial support once you have formally started to trade / act as a self-employed person.

    Business start-up training

    There are courses which are run from our ICT Training suite in Beechwood Road, Hackney London E8 and consist of five separate days formal training. These are free to beneficiaries from particular London areas (depending on which public bodies are currently funding this service), and at a reduced cost to others (prices can be negotiated dependent on clients' circumstances). This formal training is then backed up by one-to-one hour-long mentoring sessions for those who have completed a draft Business Plan. For more information please click here.

    Business start-up on-line

    This interactive course, which can lead to an NVQ in Business Start-Up (level 3), is provided by Wise Owls as we are an accredited NVQ Centre with ILM / NEBS Management. This course and the NVQ are charged at cost and, for appropriate clients, money can be obtained by you from publicly-funded support agencies. For further details click here.

    Business loans

    These are loans of up to £5,000 for people aged 50+ who wish to start up in business, are receiving some form of benefit and who have limited funds. More details are available here.

    Market Place

    Promote your businesses on-line through Wise Owls' Market Place and benefit from the potential market of the tens of thousands of page hits per month our site receives.

    Information and links

    We have information pages of interest to businesses, social enterprises and startups, plus links to other sources of finance and support. More details Click here.

    Business research

    Access results of Wise Owls' surveys and other projects. Click here

    Equalities and Diversity


  • Do you want to save yourself from an Employment Tribunal and/or having to pay out
  • thousands of pounds in damages to staff or job applicants?
  • Would you like the security of knowing that your Equal Opportunities policies and
  • procedures are legal and up-to-date?
  • Would you like training in Employment Equalities legislation plus practical support
  • from ACAS to put together your own Equalities policies and procedures?
  • Would you like all this for only £199 plus VAT?

    If the answer to some or all of the above is “yes”, then contact Peter Murphy at Wise Owls (contact details below) to discuss booking a place at one of our seminars, or possibly to arrange a one-to-one consultation if there are no seminars scheduled.

    ACAS are leading UK experts in employment law, and thus have a wealth of knowledge relating to employment legislation, equalities legislation in general, and the business benefits of diversity. Wise Owls are one of the UK’s leading specialists in age equality and employment, having worked for 9 years helping employers meet their employment needs and over 45s clients apply their skills and experience.

    The free service includes:
  • a confidential review of your current policies and procedures ( if you have any)
  • template policies (if you don’t have any)
  • a presentation and discussion of the business benefits of diversity
  • a confidential action plan and report from your own personal ACAS specialist advisor, including practical advice and support to help you implement legally compliant procedures and work towards best practice.

    This service is especially suitable for small and medium enterprises and social enterprises who need to be sure they comply with all the equalities legislation which has come into force in recent years (most recently the Age Regulations), and who are interested in making diversity work in their favour.

    TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE, PLEASE CONTACT:

    Peter Murphy
    Tel 020 8983 9716
    email:     ageworks@wiseowls.co.uk

    Train to gain



    If you like the idea of offering training to your workforce, but are put off by high costs, the impact on staffing levels, the difficulties in getting training from local Colleges that fit in with your timetables and your training needs, you will be interested in our Wise Owls Consortium’s Train to Gain service. We are currently providing NVQ training to employees for employers in such subjects as IT, administration, sales, security, hair and beauty, electrical installation and repair but can also offer you a wide range of other training to meet your needs
    We are a highly flexible employer focused training consortium delivering Train to Gain across 8 boroughs and can offer you free training in the skills you need, at times convenient to you, starting when you want and being delivered either near to you or at your premises. You tell us what you want and who your trainees are and we will match that with the right training courses and qualifications for your company and its workers. Please find attached one example of the training offered by just one of our 6 partners.
    Train to Gain can also pay you back towards the cost of losing your employee during training – with reimbursement available for the time they take off for training once they have passed their NVQ

    Here are some of the facts about training in the UK today:
  • Workers who receive training and development are more loyal to their employers.
  • Replacing a worker who has left can cost you thousands of pounds.
  • Staff training and development translates into improved profits for your company.
  • Training can be expensive and involve staff being out of the workplace for a long time.
  • Train to Gain offers free training which takes place locally, or even in the workplace.

    Do you or your staff need any training to do your jobs better and to increase the profitability and professionalism of your company? If you do then please contact us today at     ageworks@wiseowls.co.uk to discuss your training needs and maybe to arrange for us to give you a free training needs analysis.

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