Fancy joining a boot camp? No, it’s not 12 weeks of mud, sweat and tears, but a free course in business essentials for start-ups in the region.
Dozens of new entrepreneurs have already taken part in Startup Peterborough, covering everything from business planning, cashflow, market intelligence, intellectual property, import and export, sustainability and circular economy, as well as legal compliance, business structure, and marketing, PR, and social media.
Some start-ups have even gone on to apply for investment from Anglia Capital Group. Tom Hennessy, chief executive of organiser Opportunity Peterborough, said: “Startup Peterborough aims to equip entrepreneurs with the tools, guidance and advice they need to successfully establish and grow their business. To see some of our cohort putting their businesses forward for angel investment is extremely rewarding and a promising sign of potential.
“Starting a business is extremely tough but through the boot camp programme, we’ve created another support network for our entrepreneurs. As the city’s economic development company, Opportunity Peterborough will also provide ongoing support to help them grow.”
Among the first businesses to sign up was Eventifyit, an events app set up by Tim Cross. He explained that his new venture came into being because he was constantly missing local events through lack of information.
Tim added: “We were spending so much time looking on social media and other sites, trying to find local events which are not miles away. I want the app to help people find all types of events happening in their local communities they didn’t know about before, even though they are right on their doorstep.
“The information that Startup Peterborough has given me to create my business plan has been invaluable. I am now aware of more potential pitfalls, and have had lots of advice and tips to develop my idea and plans. I’ve also picked up great advice to promote my business which is one of the biggest hurdles.”
Another participant, Anglian Lifts, is a new venture by Oliver Mellor and Phil Rice. Oliver said: “The Peterborough start-up eco-system has been very welcoming and extremely helpful. Anglian Lifts were able to get up and running quickly thanks to the quick response and thoughtfulness of the Peterborough team.
“Establishing ourselves quickly and finding customers has been the biggest challenge but we’ve bootstrapped our digital and physical marketing to get our name out there and win our first few customers. We’re confident that now we have a few happy customers our reputation will spread via word of mouth and our website will start to rank higher as more content gets added.”
Lead partners in Startup Peterborough include Peterborough Workspace, The Business & IP Centre, Flexspace, CityFibre, XL Displays, and Anglia Capital Group.
Find out about joining the next Startup Peterborough boot camp at: startuppeterborough.org, email info@opportunitypeterborough.co.uk or call 01733 317417.