Testimonials

“The level of knowledge and professionalism from the advisers, plus their encouragement and support, really helped me at the crucial early stages.

I can’t emphasise enough my appreciation and need for this support as I feel the beginning is the hardest when you are trying to get the business off the ground.”

“The Enterprise Greenhouse was ideal for a start up business. Nearly five years here has allowed us to work in a professional setting with the added benefit of what’s included in the lease like furniture, IT etc.”

“We went in with such big ideas that we thought were achievable but in reality weren’t. The advisers were great at making us think realistically.”

“I was referred to St Helens Chamber on the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. After being referred, I landed at St Helens Chamber on a Monday morning and the next day my Business Coach, Steve Mather, signed me up for a start-up workshop.

“I understood how to realistically make a business plan, but the support from the Chamber opened my eyes to a depth of it that I didn’t see. There are things you don’t know about until you look into it in a certain way. The support helped me to look down the right avenues and investigate the right things so that I could find an accountant and a bookkeeper who could give me advice.”

“The process of going through the Chamber was great. I’ve always worked in St Helens and was aware of the Chamber, but didn’t know how big it was. The whole process was seamless.

“The minute that you walked through the door, it was very professional and you can see that they mean business. The whole ethos is very encouraging from the start.”

“The workshops helped me move forward. Before I completed the workshops I felt like I was stuck in a cul-de-sac, now I feel that the door is open. The staff at the Chamber were an example of enthusiasm and commitment, they gave a good example of how to behave professionally with humanity and good humour.”

“I don’t think the shop would be up and running as successfully as it is without the support I received from St Helens Chamber.

“I am still fully supported by the Chamber now that the shop is up and running. The team is there to advise you at any stage.

“I would highly recommend St Helens Chamber for help with starting a business – it paid off for me!”

“I find myself lucky to be in St Helens so I can access the level of support that St Helens Chamber Members are provided with. The legal advice has also been very useful, paying a solicitor costs a lot of money, when I called I got the help I needed for my Membership fees.”

“I wouldn’t have had a clue how to set up a business without the support of the Chamber.” Bev Heaton, Bev Heaton Designs

“I would highly recommend the Chamber’s Business Start-up support. It’s quality advice from business experts and it’s been invaluable for me, especially the one-to-one time with my Business Coach.

“The Chamber empowered me to come out of work and pursue self-employment and I don’t think the business would be as far ahead as it is right now without their support.”

“The start-up support has been great. I knew nothing about starting up my own business going into it. It was fantastic to take a little idea that I’d had and get feedback from professionals, who deal with people like me every day and highlight different ideas and aspects of starting my business that I hadn’t yet thought about.”

“The support from the Business Start Up team helped me immensely. I was guided through every step of the application for NEA and my business plan. The backup I got from the 4 workshops was fantastic. I learnt an awful lot. If you lay down an idea someone will tell you that it’s a great idea or politely say ‘what are you talking about?’

“I did every workshop that was available to me, which was very useful in terms of getting started. It also gave me the opportunity to make new friends and contacts and learn from other people’s experiences.”

” The courses were really useful and covered things that I hadn’t even considered like how to do accounts. The course gave me an overview and helped me to get started.”

“I’ve had a lot of support from St Helens Chamber especially from my mentor, Stella. She has pointed me in the right direction and given me help with budgeting and finding suppliers.”

“It’s really helpful to be able to throw ideas around, and if it’s a bad idea the mentor doesn’t have a problem telling me it’s a bad idea and that saves me a lot of time researching and finding out on my own.”