insideKENT Magazine Issue 28 - July 2014 | Page 151

BUSINESS WILKINS KENNEDY SIGN UP TO GROWTH VOUCHER INITIATIVE WILKINS KENNEDY IS SIGNED UP TO THE NEW GROWTH VOUCHER INITIATIVE – A £30 MILLION GOVERNMENT SCHEME WHEREBY UP TO 20,000 UK SMALL BUSINESSES WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE £2,000 WORTH OF BUSINESS SUPPORT AND ADVICE, WHICH MUST BE MATCH-FUNDED BY THE SMALL BUSINESS. The vouchers are redeemed through a new marketplace, which provides a platform for business owners to select the right adviser to address their specific business issue. The initiative has been put into place to measure the impact of advice on the growth of small businesses. THE PROGRAMME IS DESIGNED TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES GET EXPERT ADVICE ON: • Finance and cash flow • Recruiting and developing staff • Improving leadership and management skills • Marketing, attracting and keeping customers • Making the most of digital technology TO BE ELIGIBLE, YOUR BUSINESS MUST: • Have 49 employees or less (including any employees of companies that own a stake in your business) • Be registered in England • Have been trading for at least one year • Not have paid for strategic business advice in the last three years • Be independent (i.e. no more than 25% is owned by other businesses or organisations) WILKINS KENNEDY IS CURRENTLY REGISTERED WITH THE SCHEME TO OFFER BUSINESSES A RANGE OF EXPERT ADVICE ON: • Strategic planning • Profit maximisation • Reducing overheads • Quality assessments • Tax structuring • Employee motivation and performance • Increasing revenue and sales • Risk management • Financial planning • Business planning Businesses are also driven by individual motivations and Wilkins Kennedy has worked with companies of all sizes to develop and maintain an effective, strategic plan that will help secure the long-term success of a business. If you would like any more information about Wilkins Kennedy’s services, please contact Paul Nixon on 01233 629255 or [email protected]. w w w . w i l k i n s k e n n e d y . c o m 151