Support for your Business
Whether you are a newly established start-up, or a long established business, this page provides a listings of newsletters, networks and support services that may be of use to you and your business.
Office Space
If you are a small business looking for office space, or someone primarily based at home looking for a co-working space, then Thame has several options available from fully serviced office suites to co-working spaces. Contact the information centre for more details.
Business 2 Business Services
Thame has a vibrant business community with many services that may benefit your business, whether it is a new website; social media support; catering for business events; an on-line shop; or something else; chances are you can find it locally. So consider supporting our local community and UK businesses and explore these services through our Business Directory.
South & Vale Business Support (SVBS)
SVBS provide businesses across South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse with free and impartial support, advice and up-to-date business information.
They can help with:
- Accessing superfast broadband
- Finding new premises for your business
- Skills and employment
- Promoting our market towns
- Relevant funding and grants
- Networking and business breakfast events
- Signposting to other useful organisations
It is worth signing up to their newsletter which you can do at the bottom of their webpage.
OxLEP Business
OxLEP Business is Oxfordshire’s Growth Hub. As a growth hub, their services are completely free for small businesses (SMEs) in Oxfordshire, to support these businesses access the support they need to thrive.
The OxLEP team will:
- Signpost businesses to local and national business support services, schemes and events
- Host events and workshops on a variety of topics
FREE business support programmes for SMEs and enterprises:
- Innovation Support for Business (ISfB), which helps SMEs to bring new, innovative ideas to market
- eScalate, helping scale-ups or SMEs with scale-up potential, and social enterprise SMEs
Each programme offers support via 1:1 coaching and mentoring, workshops and events and grant funding opportunities.
In addition to their growth hub, they also have expert staff that provide professional advice, supporting businesses – both nationally and internationally – to set-up home in Oxfordshire.
Oxfordshire Business Enterprises
Oxfordshire Business Enterprises helps businesses through the early stages of planning and starting a business by providing the opportunity to meet face to face with experienced business owners, directors and professionals who can advise you on all aspects of starting a new business. Support includes:
- Cutting through the jargon to take away some of the fears you may have;
- Acting as a sounding board for business plans;
- Directing you to experts to help with specific issues you may have, perhaps marketing, finance, ecommerce, legal or property;
- Helping with some of the formalities of starting a business – taxation, VAT, registering a company, self-employment.
Advice is free, independent, confidential and impartial and the service is available to anyone in Oxfordshire who is either planning a new business or is in the first two years of trading.
Jennings Business Mentors
Running your own business is an emotional rollercoaster which only people who have experienced it can understand Jennings Business Mentors off a FREE service for business owners, by business owners. Business owners who have shared the same journey you are currently on, give their time as volunteer mentors to act as a sounding board for you if you have an issue or decision that you would like to work through. They don’t tell you have to do, but rather aim to help you to work out your own solutions by listening, sharing their experiences – both good and bad – and trying to help you see things differently.
Funding for your business
Whenever we hear about funding opportunities for businesses they will be displayed here. You can also stay up to date by signing up to our Business Newsletter. LINK
Current Opportunities:
- The Prince’s Countryside Fund provides more than £1m in grants each year to projects across the UK. We have grants of up to £50,000 available for innovative projects that will provide a lasting legacy to the individuals and communities they seek to benefit
- Elevate Funding for the Elevate initiative comes from the European Regional Development Fund. Extra resources are provided by the UK government’s department of Business Energy, & Industry Strategy and Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP). If you are interested in gaining a slice of this crucial funding, there will be five more competitive rounds of applications up to summer 2019.