West Dunbartonshire Council have a range of start-up and growth grants available to businesses within the West Dunbartonshire area to support their growth and the creation of local jobs. Further information on the grants and support available can be accessed here.
There are many ways we can support your start-up journey.
Our Planning To Start tool is a great place to begin. It takes just 10 minutes to complete and provides you with an instant toolkit with key resources & information. We'll then connect you with a member of the team at our local office for further support.
Our website offers a business plan guide and template to download when you’re ready, market reports and research, as well as handy online guides and articles, video tutorials and podcasts. Plus, we have a great range of webinars to hone your start-up skills – from writing a business plan to marketing on a budget.
With our help, you could be in business sooner than you imagined.
Our resources and one-to-one support can help you strengthen your business.
Whether you’re looking to take on premises or learn more about digital marketing, we can help you take the next step. Get started by taking 10 minutes to complete our Strengthen Your Business Tool and get a personalised dashboard of online resources and webinars.
We know that your time is in short supply, so we also offer one-to-one advice at a time and day to suit you. Together, you and your business adviser can create a strategic action plan to suit your ambitions.
Our online resources and webinars can help you learn new skills, create opportunities and gain confidence. From HR to restructuring, innovation and digital marketing - we can help. And if specialist input is required, we can connect you to other sources of support.
Access webinars, online guides and a Digital Health Check.
From digital marketing strategy to social media, e-Commerce, cyber security and more, we can help boost your digital performance.
Our Digital Health Check is a great place to start. It will help pinpoint your digital strengths, areas you could improve, and how we can help, and it only takes 5 minutes to complete.
At Business Gateway West Dunbartonshire we have access to specialist HMRC tax advisers, who are on hand to help you with everything you need to know.
This includes providing the essential advice and training to ensure you have the necessary knowledge to fulfil your legal commitments, whether you complete your own self-assessment or have a tax adviser.
Find the perfect commercial property at the right price and in the best location for you with help from our bespoke search facility.
At Business Gateway West Dunbartonshire we work very closely with the Employability team at West Dunbartonshire Council and are able to identify potential grant funding to support the recruitment of new employees.
Recruiting an apprentice or trainee
Taking on an apprentice or trainee for many businesses is the most viable route to growing a team.
By recruiting an apprentice or trainee, your business can benefit from fresh thinking and someone who is ready to adopt your business values.
Access Customised Training
This service provides access to a range of training opportunities that can support your recruitment processes.
Workforce Development
We can provide access to a range of support mechanisms that can encourage the growth of your business by developing your existing workforce.
There are a number of different agencies that can support workforce development. By contacting us, you will be able to access the support of these agencies through one local point of contact.
Every business is different and we understand there will be times when you need to access specific support and expertise along the way, in order to grow.
We have a wide range of areas which we can support you on from employing people to protecting your ideas, even developing growth strategies, exporting and much more!
The list is not exhaustive, so if there are other areas where you feel your business could benefit from specialised advice, please speak to us. If the particular area of expertise is not covered by the local team we have wider networks and contacts to bring in exactly what you need.
Below you will find the most popular areas of specialist expertise that businesses in West Dunbartonshire are benefitting from right now.
Employing People
Whether you are an existing employer or you’re thinking about recruiting your first employee, our advisers are here to help! From identifying the skills you need, to assessing training requirements and other considerations for your business, they can help you understand the processes for recruitment and employment. We can help you get the maximum business benefit from your people.
Developing & Protecting Your Ideas
If you have a great idea then the first thing to do is to take advice BEFORE you tell anyone about it! We can help you understand trademarks, copyright and other areas of intellectual property in order that you can protect your ideas and inventions.
Marketing & Growing Your Sales
Understanding your market is essential for the success of any business. We can help you to develop a strategy to target your marketing resources which gives you the best possible chance of success. Good marketing will create opportunities to sell and we’ll help you to turn your enquiries into money in the bank.
Harness the Power of the Web
If your business doesn’t have a cohesive online strategy then you may well be losing out. Trading online and using social media effectively can transform your business. Our industry specialists can help you to use the web to grow your business and manage your online reputation.
Developing a Strategy for Growth
Many businesses find they experience ‘growing pains’ as they expand. Our advisers have experience of developing larger enterprises and can help you to keep the growth and momentum going. Using short, sharp, meaningful tools such as Growth Strategy Workshops and Business Development Reviews they can help you to see beyond short-term obstacles and focus on delivering real growth in your business.
Developing International Markets
Taking the first step towards trading internationally can seem daunting, but our specialists can help you to develop an effective and controlled strategy. We partner with organisations such as SmartExporter and SDI to help you target your international sales.
Improving Energy Efficiency
Reducing your overheads is essential to ensure your business can trade profitably and grow efficiently. By partnering with specialists such as the Crichton Carbon Centre, our specialists can help you manage your costs and reduce your environmental footprint.
We recognise that young entrepreneurs often have great drive and enthusiasm. They see opportunities where others see problems, but can often face bigger barriers.
At Business Gateway West Dunbartonshire we have strong links with Youth Business Scotland and Young Enterprise Scotland, which means we can help you access the best support and advice.
Funding
West Dunbartonshire Council is committed to facilitating growth in the local economy, providing a wide range of funding and support interventions for local businesses as they develop. Through its partner organisation, Business Gateway, the council offers free advisory services and expert help to enhance access to local and external funding initiatives to support business expansion and increased employment.
Finding Business Premises
Is working from home really the best option for you or would it be better to source a small office space? Maybe you need premises to start trading. Either way, we can assist you in finding vacant industrial and commercial units to meet your needs in the West Dunbartonshire Council area. Not only that, there may be support available which your local adviser will be able to provide more information on.
Experience shows that businesses are far more likely to survive a disaster if they have thought about it in advance, and planned accordingly.
Protecting the future and reputation of a business, whatever the size, has to be the number one priority for every business owner.
The smaller your business, the more important it is to have a contingency plan in place.Any incident, no matter how small, is capable of impacting on your business and affecting profitability.
Even a sole trader is advised to have systems in place to be able to continue their work in case of theft, flooding, fire, IT and utility failures.
What is a Business Continuity Plan?
A Business continuity plan will identify all the requirements which are essential to keeping your business running. It provides a set of instructions on what to do at a time of crisis and should set out clear roles and responsibilities. It should list the actions that will allow key business activities to continue in the most difficult circumstances.
Types of risk
- Floods/storms/high winds
- Fire
- Loss of premises
- Loss of telecommunications
- Loss of power
- Disruption to fuel supplies
- Loss of/reduction in staff
Possible Effects
- Failure of business
- Loss of Income
- Damage to reputation
- Loss of customers
- Legal/regulatory penalties
- Loss of trained employees
- Increased insurance penalties
Business Continuity Basic Checklist
1. Have you made a list of important telephone numbers (customers, clients, suppliers, employees)?
2. Do you store your vital computer information on back up disks or servers away from your premises?
3. Do you have an asset register?
4. Do you and your staff know the location of stopcocks, valves and electric mains switch?
5. Have you considered alternative arrangements in order to continue operations (locations, suppliers, equipment etc.)?
6. Do you have an emergency pack that includes a plan of the site, spare keys and contact details?
7. Is it stored in a safe place that is known by your key personnel?
The Women's Business Centre is a website designed to support women at the pre-start and start-up through to growth stages of their business journey.
Operated by Women’s Enterprise Scotland, the Women's Business Centre website is free to access and offers dedicated, needs-based content on starting and growing a business, including stories, encouragement and top tips from leading business owners across Scotland.
The Supplier Development Programme provides support through a range of free tender training, e-learning modules and Meet the Buyer events to help Scottish SMEs, social enterprises and third sector organisations in bidding for public sector opportunities.
Your local Business Gateway office can offer free support to any business considering making redundancies.
Our advisers can help you look at your business challenges and then help you make the next practical steps. Along with that we can introduce you to PACE – Partnership Action for Continuing Employment.
We have put together a list of useful links for local and national organisations.
West Dunbartonshire Council
http://www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/
The Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce
http://www.dunbartonshirechamber.co.uk/
The Tell Organisation
http://www.tell.co.uk/
The Lennox Partnership
http://www.thelennoxpartnership.org/
Skills Development Scotland
http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/
PTYBS – Youth Business Scotland
http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/about_the_trust/in_your_region/scotland.aspx
Young Enterprise Scotland
http://www.yes.org.uk/
Companies House
http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/
Firstport
http://www.firstport.org.uk/
Cultural Enterprise Office
http://www.culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk
Smart Exporter
http://www.smartexporter.co.uk
Federation of Small Businesses (FSB)
http://www.fsb.org.uk/k
West Dunbartonshire Council for Voluntary Services
http://www.wdcvs.com/
West of Scotland Loan Fund
http://www.wslf.co.uk/
DSL Business Finance
http://www.dsl-businessfinance.co.uk/
Information on the free advice and support available from Scotland’s public sector business support organisations is available to find, all in one place, at Find Business Support.
Find your nearest office
Business Gateway Clydebank
1 Aurora Avenue, Queens Quay
Clydebank
G81 1BF
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday
09:00 to 17:00