Norfolk and Waveney Enterprise Services

This was an early LEADER+ project, and comprised an innovative business support initiative, championed by Richard Ellis from EEDA, that focused on new business start-ups and the expansion of existing small businesses. It was adpated from the Sirolli approach, an American idea that had been successfully implemented in rural areas of Australia, and involved recruiting a locally based business skills coach, whose role was:

· Part business consultant, providing demand-lead advice tailored to the needs of individual entrepreneurs.
· Part advocate, supporting the entrepreneur in picking a successful path through bureaucracy.
· Part matchmaker, using well developed networking skills to put entrepreneurs in touch with those people best placed to provide the necessary advice/skills.

The coach, who should have been well known in the area with a good network of contacts and a flexible, problem solving approach, would help clients with their varied concerns. In addition support was to be forthcoming from a business advisory board, comprising senior representatives from private businesses and local government. The Board members gave their time free of charge.

The project targeted a rural area covering the northwest part of Great Yarmouth borough and part of North Norfolk district stretching up to Stalham. This area was chosen because of its poor track record of stimulating entrepreneurial skills and was identified in conjunction with economic development staff from the two district councils.

It was anticipated that this one-year pilot project would prove its value in a rural area of Norfolk and provide the basis for it to be extended in other areas in the East of England.

It intended to achieve the following outputs:

· 15 people securing jobs
· 8 new businesses
· 10 businesses diversifying into other activities
· 75 businesses/individuals assisted

and was awarded a Broads & Rivers LEADER+ grant of £59,850 towards a total project cost of £67,150, with the match funding emanating from in-kind support from members of the management board and NWES.

The project was not overly successful, and achieved only 5 new start-ups, two businesses introduced alternative activities, and two people accessed employment. 16 businesses were assisted, although the details provided on these was not very comprehensive.

The five new business start-ups include a beautician, who started offering a mobile service within the area and building on the success of this, started operating from premises. The facilitator helped with general business start-up advice, focusing mainly on finance and marketing.

A potential card manufacturer was referred from an enterprise agency, and after an initial business assessment, the client and facilitator identified key steps for realising her goals. This resulted in the client working with the facilitator, and also attending a NWES Best Start course for new businesses.

Electrician - the facilitator acted very much as a mentor and critical friend to this client, and had regular meetings to work through all the processes of setting up in business. The client went on a series of training courses and workshops, and at each step the facilitator was on hand to offer encouragement and support.

Consultant - The facilitator worked with the Procurement Consultant to help identify areas of opportunity, focusing on key issues that enabled him to embark on his freelance career.

Storyteller - the facilitator encouraged the client that she had a viable business idea and to investigate the market. The client later started to charge for her services, which she had previously given for free, and taking steps to develop the business.

It can be seen that the above businesses are not unusual for typical start ups, and none could be regarded as having high business potential. It seems that the project did not include enough netwworking with existing businesses, and this may be one of the reasons why the ripple effect, that was a key factor in Sirolli's concept, appears not to have occurred. It would have been useful if the project review had explored some of the assumptions behind the Sirolli concept, and the reasons why these might not be relevant to rural areas in Norfolk/England. Perhaps the approach is more amenable to the rural outback areas of Australia and America where communities are more self contained and individual business people more dominant within those communities; and consequently it is easier to take advantage of opportunities.

The approach is quite similar to the BizFizz projects, typically based in the poorer suburbs of towns/cities in UK, and perhaps some of the experiences from this project are relevant.

Total cost of the project was £64,430 consisting of £59,850 of LEADER+ funding (comprising £32,215 EAGGF, £13,430 Defra, and £14,205 from the Broads and Rivers Public Pot) and £4,580 of in-kind contributions.

In February 2005 the applicant requested a phase two of the project but this was turned down by the Local Action Group for a number of reasons; it was deemed to be very similar to the first phase, and unclear about what lessons learned had been incorporated. The LAG considered that they had not made a robust case for the need for the extension and had not addressed sustainability issues.