Enterprise Agencies in Belfast
The local enterprise agencies (LEAs) in Belfast are located
throughout the city and work together to maximise the support
for local entrepreneurship and local businesses.
They were set up by local business
people and active community leaders
to support individuals to set up their
own business, to create jobs and
stimulate further development
within local areas.
There are a growing number of
organisations in Belfast who offer
training and support for business
start up and business growth but
the enterprise agency is the first
local contact point for any individual
seeking to start, maintain or grow
a business.
Local Enterprise Agencies are locally
based, not-for-profit companies who
reinvest any surplus funds back into
business support.
They provide best value delivery to
the government and investors, as
they exist to support local enterprise
and business rather than for
financial gain.
Through the voluntary efforts of
Directors, the professionalism of
paid staff, the direct involvement
of the Council, Invest NI and their
staff and the participation of the
local business community, Local
Enterprise Agencies make a real
contribution to the social capital of
Belfast. They provide the capacity,
the capability and the expertise to
make things work better at local
level. They also provide the means
by which local communities can
respond to both opportunity
and challenge.
Capacity
¥ 400,000 sq ft of workspace and
office space is rented out to
local people to start their
own business.
¥ Over 350 units/offices to rent.
¥ Almost 2000 people are
employed across seven sites.
¥ 56 Voluntary Directors drawn
from the local community who
oversee local operations.
¥ 47 staff, who are in the main
graduates and members of the
Institute of Business Consulting.
Their Chief Executives and
Directors have significant
involvement in the local
community as well as at a
strategic level with other
economic development bodies.
They draw on the expertise
of specialist trainers and
consultants to meet client needs.
¥ Operate to ISO9002 standard.
Enterprise NI
Enterprise Northern Ireland (ENI)
is the organisation representing
the network of local enterprise
agencies in Northern Ireland.
By working together through
Enterprise NI, Local Enterprise
Agencies can offer a service of a
consistent standard across
Northern Ireland.
Enterprise Northern Ireland ensures
that there is a minimum level of
support available in every Local
Enterprise Agency and coordinates
a number of programmes designed
to encourage enterprise, start up
and business growth.
Enterprise Northern Ireland also
ensures that every agency operates
a quality service, and over the past
5 years has helped to improve IT
infrastructure, customer service
within agencies, training and
professionalism of staff and public
accountability.
Services
Workspace and offices
Each organization offers flexible
and low cost accommodation for
local businesses. While most of
the accommodation was originally
warehouses and workshops
targeted at micro industry, the
enterprise agencies are starting to
offer professional and sometimes
serviced offices for the growing
service sector. Tenants can benefit
from on site services that are
offered, which may include
discounted room hire, access to
photocopying and administrative
services and access to business
advice, information and programmes.
The workspace is ideal for new
start up companies as the
Enterprise agencies can give more
flexible lease terms than those
offered by the private sector. ³
Promoting enterprise
in the community
The Local Enterprise Agencies
continually work to promote
enterprise through ongoing
community outreach and
marketing, delivery of taster
workshops and Exploring
Enterprise programmes. They work
in partnership with community
organisations and also target
specific groups such as ethnic
minorities, women and the
unemployed.
Helping individuals and
groups start in business
Start A Business Programme
The Programme is funded by Invest
Northern Ireland and is structured
to help people start a business.
It provides a package of advice,
training and support ensuring
people have a strong team to help
them along the way.
The Business Advisory Service
Clients are provided with the
services of an expert business
adviser who works on a one-to-one
confidential basis to help prepare
the business. Advisors are also
available to meet with once the
business has started.
The Into-Business Course
This course comprises eight
modules focusing particularly on
sales and marketing, financial
management, legal and statutory
issues, ICT and general business
practices. The course is offered
over four days or eight evenings.
The Financial Planning Service
This service will help you to decide
how much money you will need to
start the business and explore all
potential sources of funding.
New Deal for Self
Employment
This programme is available to the
following:
¥ Lone parents in receipt of
income support, or who work
less than sixteen hours per
week.
¥ 18-24 year olds who have been
claiming job-seekers allowance
for six months or more.
¥ 25 + who have been claiming
job-seekers allowance for
eighteen months or more.
¥ New Deal for Partners.
The main benefit is a period of
"Test trading" enabling people to
operate in business for a period of
26 weeks, but maintain any benefits
which they are currently receiving
plus an additional training and
childcare allowance. At the end of
the 26 weeks, participants will be
encouraged to come off benefits
and remain in self-employment.
The Jobs & Benefits Office will
advise an individual on their
eligibility for the programme.
Enterprise Northern Ireland
Loan Fund
The aim of the Loan Fund is to
make funding more accessible to
those starting or operating a small
business and in support of the loan,
to provide advice on cash flow and
other business advice.
The Loan Fund offers:
¥ Loans from £500 upwards.
¥ Financial planning support to
determine the funding needs
of the business.
¥ Flexible repayment terms.
¥ A competitive interest rate.
¥ No arrangement fee
(only applies to new start
businesses).
¥ No security required.
There are also local initiatives
to meet the needs of specific
targeted groups.
The Virtual Secretary Programme
helps unemployed women to
gain admin and IT skills to enable
them to either gain employment
in an administrative capacity or
to become self employed as a
Virtual Secretary.
The Learn 2 Earn programme
helps women to set up their own
business in the catering and
hospitality sector by giving them
practical skills, as well as
developing their personal and
business skills.
The Second Chance Programme
reaches out to individuals who have
previously been in business but
have had to stop trading or have
been declared bankrupt, to start a
new business in spite of possible
past experiences.
The Franchise Start up programme
promotes the option of franchising
which is particularly suitable for
someone with the capital to buy
a franchise but who lacks the
business acumen or know-how.
Social Entrepreneurship
Programme
This programme, funded by Invest
Northern Ireland, is to help
community groups who have a
business idea. Social enterprises
have social objectives as well as
financial objectives and any profits
are returned to the organisation
rather than to the private individual.
¥ Offers pre-business support
including advice on business
concept, researching the market
and financing the project.
¥ Mentoring: to help identify
investors for the project,
generate ideas, develop
networks and do background
research.
¥ Business Plan Support.
¥ Approval of Financial Start-up
Package.
¥ Start-up Capability Building
(training and one-to-one
mentoring).
¥ Post Start Operational Aftercare
(training and one-to-one
mentoring).
Supporting the Micro
Business
Tradelinks
1-2-1 mentoring support for
businesses wishing to develop cross
border trade. Business needs are
assessed and a suitable mentor
is identified to assist with the
specific needs.
Microtrade
Support for micro-businesses
wishing to gain cross border trade
or alliances.
¥ Market Entry Assistance funding
to encourage and support
companies in taking proactive
steps towards developing sales
and business opportunities in a
cross border market.
¥ Funding packages for certain
types of business collaboration
cross border.
¥ Courses on tendering for public
sector contracts.
Franchisor Programme
The Franchisor Programme
supports dynamic businesses to
understand the opportunities in
franchising, to gear their business
up and running and to develop
systems and procedures that allow
the business to be replicated in a
franchise format.
There are a number of benefits
associated with franchising
businesses:
¥ Provides the opportunity to
expand business quickly.
¥ Expansion is at a low cost and
risk (most of finance provided by
franchisee).
¥ Allows businesses to find highly
skilled people who will help
grow the business.
¥ No involvement in daily
operations of the franchise
allowing the business to
concentrate on other
opportunities.
Womens 1-2-1 Programme
This programme supports women
who are in their first years of
running their business through
identifying and matching them with
a suitable mentor. The mentor is
also a female who has had the
experience of running her own
business and can pass on practical
and life experience. The programme
also brings mentors and mentees
together on a regular basis for
group learning and networking.
Enterprise Investment
Scheme
The EIS may be an appropriate
vehicle to raise the capital of a
company. It is a government initiative
with the purpose of helping certain
types of small higher risk unquoted
trading companies raise capital.
It does so by providing a range of
tax reliefs for investors in qualifying
shares in these companies. This
programme is designed to raise
awareness of the EIS among
investors and assist local businesses
to become EIS approved in order to
attract investment.
Thimble
This is a network of business
support for SMEs within the textile
sector. Collectively the group export
to the mainland UK, Republic of
Ireland, Europe and USA. The group
has been instrumental in profiling
the work of fashion and textile
designers based in Northern
Ireland.
Business Workshops and
Seminars
The enterprise agencies offer
workshops on a range of business
issues mainly targeted at young
businesses. They are also well
informed on the range of other
business support programmes
available and can signpost a
business to the right level of support
Contact your Local
Enterprise Agency
North Belfast
North City Business Centre
028 9074 7470
www.north-city.co.uk
East Belfast
East Belfast Enterprise
028 9045 5450
www.eastbelfast.org
Shankill
Townsend Enterprise Agency
028 9043 5778
www.townsend.co.uk
South Belfast
Ormeau Business Park
028 9033 9906
www.ormeaubusinesspark.com
West Belfast
Work West
028 9061 0826
www.workwest.co.uk
Ortus - The Business Development Agency
028 9031 1002
www.ortus.org