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Meet Enterprise Made Simple

Middlesbrough-based training and development company, Enterprise Made Simple, accessed a £30,000 business growth grant to create a new digital education centre and specialist training venue.

Now delivering training across the globe, the funding has transformed the business by helping it to reach new audiences across the world and take advantage of new growth opportunities.

  • £30,000 in grant funding
  • 1 derelict building transformed into a state-of-the-art training venue
  • Ambitions to double turnover and create local jobs

We spoke to Enterprise Made Simple’s CEO, Phil Teasdale, to find out how the Tees Valley Business Growth Fund has helped to transform the business.

Enterprise Made Simple is the largest business growth training company in the UK, based right here in Teesside. The team of in-house experts offer a wide range of business development services and training to help organisations and the teams behind them to reach their growth potential.

Having marked 15 years in business, founder Phil knew that the next step for Enterprise Made Simple’s own growth ambitions was to open the doors to its own centre.

This vision was made possible through a £30,000 business growth grant from Tees Valley Business, enabling the business to transform a derelict building in Middlesbrough’s Riverside Industrial Estate into a cutting-edge specialist training venue and digital education centre.

Phil explains: “The objective for us to get this funding and start this huge project was to grow our business, to recruit more people and to offer something that isn’t being offered anywhere else in the world, particularly not in our local area.”

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Reaching new audiences from the Tees Valley

One of the main benefits of the new digital centre is that it has opened a whole new global market for Enterprise Made Simple.

Phil says: “The beauty of receiving this grant is that not only can we have people physically in this building, but we can be live streaming across the world as well. This has opened a huge market opportunity for our business and has helped us to grow massively.”

He goes on to explain how far the business’s reach now extends beyond the UK: “We are now training people in areas as far-flung as India, Australia, and America; people that we would never have been able to reach before.”

Even with this new global outlook, Enterprise Made Simple still has a firm focus on providing quality development services across the UK. In fact, transport and connectivity within the Tees Valley has helped the business extend its reach at home too.

Phil says: “With trains coming directly to Middlesbrough from London and with direct flights from Teesside International Airport we have been able to utilise the infrastructure within the Tees Valley to bring people from across the country into the centre.”

Creating Local Jobs During the Pandemic

It has been a difficult year for businesses across the UK and around the world, with business leaders and their teams tackling the challenges presented by Covid-19 and subsequent lockdowns.

Despite these unprecedented challenges, the boost from the business growth grant has supported Enterprise Made Simple to keep business on-track and moving towards its growth ambitions to increase turnover and create local jobs.

Phil said: “Whilst we couldn’t physically bring people into the building, what has been so amazing is that we have been able to utilise the building to contact the world.”

He also explains that the grant has led to the recruitment of new team members. He says: “[The grant] has helped us with our recruitment plans, so we’re now looking for new team members. And even during this pandemic, we’re looking to recruit new people within the business.”

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The ‘icing on the cake’

Reflecting on the support received, Phil said: “It’s been an absolutely amazing opportunity for us as a business to be able to take on a project of this scale, which we would never have been able to take on before, and make it a reality.

“This building was just a derelict site and with the help of the Tees Valley Business Growth Fund we’ve been able to transform this space into something that isn’t in existence in the Tees Valley, or the North East. The state-of-the-art equipment is the icing on the cake for our business. It will help us grow and, more to the point, it will help us help more people to grow as well.”

He added: “If you want to grow your business, you should definitely find out how the Tees Valley Business Growth Fund could support you. The process itself was very simple, step by step with lots of support from the Tees Valley Business team to help you on your journey.”

The Tees Valley Business Growth Fund is receiving support from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2020-2023.

To find out more about Enterprise Made Simple and its services, you can click here to visit the website.

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Whatever stage you’re at on your business growth journey, we’re here to help take your business to the next level with expert advice, support, and access to finance and funding.

Our support is impartial and fully funded, which means there is no cost to your business. If you’re based in the Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees) get in touch to see how we can help.

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