Local services for Leeds Business start-ups

Development trusts are engaged in the economic, environmental and social regeneration of a defined area/place. They are independent, aiming for self-sufficiency and not-for-private profit. In addition they are community-based, owned and managed and are actively involved in partnerships/alliances between the community, voluntary, private and public sectors.

This is a government funded service designed to promote enterprise and they are available to provide advice and guidance if you are already running or growing a business or if you are just starting up.

The support provided is all free, independent and impartial and covers all aspects of business including finding and managing finance for new businesses, legal issues, choosing a suitable business venue and advice on tax, national insurance as well as advice about sales and marketing, financial controls, finding contractors and transportation.

In addition there are many free workshops on a variety of topics including marketing, bookkeeping, selling and more. 

Shine is a project from the Harehills Community Interest Company (CIC),  a community development organisation based in Harehills.

Shine is a refurbished, high quality enterprise centre offering a range of facilities to the public and the business community. It offers shared and serviced office space, hot desking facilities, the business hub, conference and meeting rooms. In addition it has a gym on the premises.

A large proportion of its profits are re-invested into the community. Come on down and take a look at this fantastic building. More details here.

Unity Enterprise manage three business centres on the periphery of Leeds City centre Unity Business Centre, Leeds Media Centre and Chapeltown Enterprise Centre. If you are looking for managed work space consider these great centres to run your business from.

Key features of the centres include:

• Business centres are easily accessible by public transport and the road networks, with excellent links to the city centre and its rail and bus stations
• Full reception facilities including postal services and photocopying
• Separate alarm for each individual office/unit, 24 hour CCTV surveillance
• Free parking facilities
• Conference and meeting facilities
• Communal facilities including toilets and seating areas
• Cleaning and repairs/maintenance of communal areas

Leeds City Council offer a free and impartial support service for new businesses and enterprises looking to develop in the city. Support includes links to advice giving organisations, information about licences, empty properties, regulations, approvals and permits, as well business rate information and planning permissions if required. 

Go to the website address below and click 'business' for more.

The University of Leeds offers real business solutions for a wide range of regional, national and international organisations. They can help solve a range of business challenges through access to our teaching and research as well as the wide range of resources and world class facilities. In particular they offer consultancy, product testing, opportunities for student placements to assist with specific projects and mentoring opportunities.

Camberwell is managing a catalyst centrs at Shine in Harehills. The catalyst centre provide a physical space for new entrepreneurs enbling them to network with each other, share knowledge and inter-trade with each other. They form part of a larger centre which houses other facilities for the residents and businesses e.g. meeting or conference rooms, office space and gym.

The Hub provide affordable, pay as you go, flexible workspace and monthly networking events for individuals and companies to come together and interact. The aim is to connect you with the right people and services you need to grow and strengthen your business.

Rise is a single storey modular building of some 15,000sq ft. on the site of the current East Leeds Family Learning Centre in Seacroft. The centre provides accommodation for a construction training facility in Seacroft. This offers construction training and taster sessions in bricklaying and joinery to local residents and young people.

Partners involved in this project include Leeds City Council, East and South East Leeds (EASEL) Regeneration Programme, Leeds College of Building, Construction Leeds and the David Young Academy. The project aimes to help get local residents into employment, either through EASEL Regeneration Programme, which is one of the largest housing renewal programmes in the north of England, or the wider construction sector and local residents into self-employment.

Artsmix is an enterprising and creative Leeds based social enterprise, providing sales and development platforms whilst encouraging and leading quality arts projects across Leeds and the wider Yorkshire area.  They provide a range of services including; the Factory4 creative workshop, Artsmix 4 business, art exhibitions, festivals and events, regular arts and crafts markets, Artsmix @ the Loft, enterprise support and Artsmix enterprise. 

The Factory 4 workshop offers state of the art equipment in screen printing, woodworking and jewellery making, on a pay as you go basis, in the heart of the community Sheepscar.

The Artsmix market is a multicultural arts and crafts market with exhibition space and is held regularly in Leeds, providing artists with an opportunity to display and sell their own handcrafted work, link with other artists and develop their arts and craft enterprise. 

Artsmix 4 Business is a new service to Artsmix members which promotes artists work through exhibitions, events, portfolios and commissions from corporate environment.

Hillside provides meeting and conference space for business and the community, work space units to let as well as a café/restaurant.

Tiger11 is an enterprising community organisation set up to create community benefits for the people of Leeds LS11. They are an Industrial & Provident Society and are building a wide shareholding base amongst local people. They plan to re-invest their surpluses in the local community through the creation of new social enterprises.

The recipient of an Audit Commission Green Flag for its unique and innovative work, Leeds Ahead is a groundbreaking social business that specialises in helping companies across the city to get involved in the social and economic regeneration of Leeds while supporting them in their employee development. Leeds Ahead brings together the private, public and voluntary sectors to deliver sustainable outcomes.

Linking entrepreneurs to experienced business people helps them with the development of their business.

Leeds Ahead  manage various enterprise projects including organising business people to deliver workshops, host business panels and deliver advice surgeries. Within the enterprise programme is the highly successsful and acknowledged business mentoring programme which  involves managing directors and senior managers volunteering  their time to mentor entrepreneurs .  

More than 85% of businesses who have received mentoring support have reported that there has been a significant positive impact on the development of their business. Recipients of the support have also stated that the mentoring has helped them to stay focused and  feel inspired, develop their understanding of business and has increased their confidence in making business decisions.

For more information about the mentoring programme, please contact Anne Salisbury on 07912 391 087.

If you have an idea for a business or want to trial a new product, this market stall in Kirkgate Market gives you shared space on the stall for 12 weeks free of charge. The stall is available to anyone who lives in Leeds and comes with free business support, specialist retail advice and help from the sales co-ordinator overseeing the project. You will also have access to support from the wider Sharing the Success programme. 

ABDN are helping people find out about working for themselves especially those from the ethnic communities in Leeds. ABDN directors and members act as mentors to build confidence with those interested in starting a business.

They provide an opportunity for existing businesses to network at ABDN events and also inspire young people by promoting current role models from Leeds.

Leeds City Credit Union provides access to finance exclusively for start up businesses in disadvantaged areas. Loans up to £5,000 are offered at lower rates for individuals unable to access finance through traditional sources like banks etc.

Residents of the target areas typically have to use non-traditional methods to access finance which can result in unaffordable interest rates being charged, typically over 300%. If you are thinking about starting a business on this page you will find a helpful checklist as well as a business plan and cash flow template.

This loan fund is aimed at start-up and existing businesses unable to access high street lenders. Loans will range from £5,000 to £60,000. The added value of BEF is that mentoring support is provided to all businesses given a loan.

As part of the Community Development Finance sector the fund’s social objectives are to support enterprise amongst those who are financially disadvantaged. This will include people with CCJ’s bankruptcy or poor credit ratings. The loans are made on the merits of the business proposition alone.

The mentoring support covers things such as book keeping, marketing, legal advice and intensive business support. The mentoring support is integral to the loans and has proven to deliver a much improved business survival rate. Contact email: info@befund.org

Construction Leeds is a partnership within the Leeds Initiative, the city’s strategic partnership group. The Building on Business project aims to enable people from Leeds target communities to take advantage of opportunities arising from construction work planned to take place in Leeds in the coming years.

Building on Business will provide training and advice to help people start their own business or help them access the training they need to get jobs with contractors by putting developers from the target areas in touch with unemployed people in local communities.

The Ambassadors work with teachers, primarily in thirteen target secondary schools and their primary feeders, to ensure enterprise becomes an integral part of the curriculum.

The Enterprise Ambassadors also work with the target schools to develop new enterprise/skills development programmes and buy-in activities, resources and specialist equipment using funding from the Enterprise Toolkit. They are also encouraging schools city wide to use enterprise more widely in the curriculum and ensure that the non-ring fenced DfE funding for enterprise is used to do this.

Business advisers will provide practical assistance to residents in our target areas thinking about starting a business. This will be intensive, hands-on support rather than signposting. They will also work with the self-employed and start-up business to offer assistance with business survival and growth issues.

You can download a checklist of your first steps as well as a business plan and cashflow template from this page.  

This project is part-funded by the regional European Regional Development Fund programme that is investing over £500m to increase employment and enterprise by 2013. 

This project includes a programme of activities to raise awareness of the potential for enterprise among individuals and communities in South Leeds, in particular Middleton and Belle Isle.

Health For All are building on their existing groups and contacts as well as attracting individuals currently not engaged. They are using local media to publicise support available which includes half day events, one to one support and telephone advice. They are also linking prospective entrepreneurs to other projects within Sharing the Success.

Enterprise coaches meet and spend time with those thinking about starting a business before handing them over to the business support offered by Sharing the Success. They will help the client set up their business getting involved and offering guidance as necessary. See leaflet above.

Enterprise coaches also establish and maintain relationships with individuals, families, voluntary/community groups within ERDF areas within Leeds. This project is part-funded by the regional European Regional Development Fund programme that is investing over £500m to increase employment and enterprise by 2013.

HMRC will provide free advice relating to all tax and national insurance issues which you may encounter when setting up a new business. In particular, issues around P45 and P46 for employees, registering as an employer, Pay as You Earn (PAYE) information, statutory sick pay, claims for expenses and benefits and other associated advice.  

They also run free, local workshops on tax and keeping your records correct.