Effect Blaenau Gwent provides free and confidential business support to local people, start-up ventures, existing businesses and social enterprises.
Do you have a big idea? Energy? Passion? Maybe it’s about taking that first step – talking to someone. Blaenau Gwent Effect can help.
Specific support and guidance from BGCBC Business Development Officers
- Business Start Up Drop in Sessions
- Practical help and support from a local volunteer resource team
- Links to a wide range of programmes and resources offered by BGCBC, Welsh Government/business support organisations
- Local network of contacts, knowledge and resources
Blaenau Gwent Effect was established on March 14th 2011 to provide Enterprise Facilitation® services which follow the Sirolli Institute principles created by Dr. Ernesto Sirolli. BG EFFECT was the first Enterprise Facilitation project in Wales.
If you are starting up in business, please contact the Economic Development Team on 01495 355700. They are your initial point of contact for help and support. The Business Development Officers work with business start-ups, existing local businesses and with social enterprises and provide a high quality, personal service that is confidential and free.
How will the Business Development Officers help you with your business or enterprise idea?
- Firstly, they will listen – and listen carefully
- They will keep an open mind about your ideas and
- They will focus on referring you to support team you need.
Weekly start-up drop in sessions run throughout Blaenau Gwent in partnership with Aneurin Leisure library services. A business development officer runs a drop in session at a library in Blaenau Gwent each week from 10-12. No appointment is needed, just bring yourself and your business start up idea!
The Volunteer resource team is a key component of the Sirolli method’s success. The Panel is comprised of a group of volunteers drawn from the local community, who come together to establish a credible, reliable and trusted community resource. The resource team usually meets every 6 weeks or when the Business Development Officer identifies a need, and is made up of individuals from a range of different backgrounds and interests.
One of the main roles of the panel is to to boost network contacts and to increase the profile of Blaenau Gwent Effect. The theory is that by increasing the profile of BG Effect and its services, more people in the community will be motivated to seek the support of the Business Development Officer. Once the Business Development Officer has met with a client and established what support they require, the panel can then be approached to collectively discuss the case and generate the particular ideas, leads and contacts needed to assist the situation and help the businesses grow and develop.
We welcome new volunteers of all ages backgrounds. If you would like to find out more about being a volunteer please email business@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk
The Effect Network was created to support new start-ups and existing businesses in Blaenau Gwent.
Benefits to you and your business
- Learning from others
- Shared experiences
- Advice and Support
- New contacts
- Informal networking
- Local trading opportunities
- Business generation
- Business updates from key partners
Convinced that the future of every community lies in capturing the passion, intelligence, imagination and resources of its own people, the Sirolli Institute™ has developed “Enterprise Facilitation™” as a person-centered approach to catalysing both community and economic development.
Enterprise Facilitators work closely with a community based resource network (called the ‘Volunteer Panel’) to provide free, confidential business management and advice to both aspiring entrepreneurs and existing businesses. Since 1985, the Sirolli model of Enterprise Facilitation has provided an effective mechanism for mobilising community leadership and has repeatedly demonstrated the programme’s capacity for inspiring community revitalisation in many different countries, around the world.
The service to entrepreneurs and existing businesses is free, confidential and competent. The focus is always centred on the convenience of the client in mind.
