Who is Let’s Do Business Group?
Starting in Hastings almost 30 years ago as an Enterprise Agency, Let’s Do Business Group are now a leading and award-winning provider of business support, finance, and training across the South East and East of England.
As a social enterprise, we were established to help people and businesses achieve their dreams. We are proud to deliver both high-quality and unique advice to businesses, with over 92% of clients recommending our support.
There are many ways we can help you to achieve your business goals, including, but not limited to: accessing our start up workshops; free sessions with one of our specialist business advisers or finance & funding experts; free advice on finding premises in East Sussex; and support to apply for business financing including Start Up Loans and Growth Loans.
The Team at Let’s Do Business Group
Growth
At Let’s Do Business Group, our team of business professionals and quality assured consultants are able to provide business consultancy services. Whether it’s developing a business plan or strategy, coaching or mentoring, or just being a sounding board, our team are here to help.
We are here to help you recognise and ascertain your goals, getting to know you and your business and finding solutions that are right for you. Our funding decisions are made based on the whole picture and not just through statistics and algorithms.
“I’ve never been able to get funding from a mainstream bank. It’s been so frustrating as we had a history of repayments, but they just wouldn’t accept it. Something that has been so refreshing in dealing with Let’s Do Business Group is that you are dealing with a human being that’s actually talking to you, and listening to you, as well as looking at the figures. They look at the whole picture and not just a piece of paper.”
Support
Our business support service is tailored to meet small-to-medium sized businesses’ needs, which is made up of:
Strategic planning – Having a business plan is essential to success. We can help you shape yours by understanding your objectives and then working with you to plan the steps you need to take to help your business flourish.
Finance and risk – Our advisory team includes finance specialists who can help you identify finance solutions to support your cash flow as well as help you to invest in new opportunities to grow your business.
Marketing – After building a brand your customers will love, the next step is getting to them. Building a marketing strategy to raise your business profile and generate new leads is something we can support you with.
Workplace operations – We can work with you to identify the best operating environment, including finding or relocating premises, staff management and your stock and supply chain.
Finance
Our finance arm, Let’s Do Business Finance, offers funding for start-up businesses, businesses wanting to grow & invest in scale up opportunities, and those directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Covering areas in the South-East and East of England, including Sussex, Surrey, Suffolk, Kent, Essex, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire, and with offices in Hastings, Ongar, Newhaven and Maidstone, Let’s Do Business Finance aims to support businesses both starting up and already established.
We are an official delivery partner of the British Business Bank and deliver Start Up Loans of up to £25,000 to aspiring entrepreneurs and businesses under two years to support the launch of their business. In 2021, Let’s Do Business Finance provided around £4.8m worth of Start Up Loan funds.
The independent, family run, Boutique Hotel, Thomas Paine Hotel in Thetford, Norfolk, was one of the businesses that Let’s Do Business Finance helped with a Recovery Loan in order to help fulfil extension plans. Being an accredited provider, on behalf of British Business Bank, Let’s Do Business Finance lent the Thomas Paine Hotel £150,000 through the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) – a scheme that supports access to finance for UK businesses as they recover and grow following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The whole process was really good. It was a pressure off my shoulders. It’s much easier as a small business to deal with a small business. It was so easy to speak to my Business Advisor, Dave Watson. I could call or email and he would get right back to me. It is a far cry from dealing with my high street bank.”
Contracts
During the 2021-2022 financial year, Let’s Do Business Group delivered a range of business support projects across the South East and East of England.
Locate East Sussex is an Inward Investment and business support service for East Sussex. Being in partnership with East Sussex County Council, Eastbourne, and Hastings Borough Councils, and Rother, Lewes, and Wealden District Councils, Locate East Sussex provides businesses with a range of support, focussing on finance and property. They work closely with potential investors, landlords, and local authority to encourage new commercial development and investment in the county.
Standing for ‘Connecting Hastings And Rother Together’, CHART was a European Regional Development Fund project which supported budding entrepreneurs and established businesses from parts of Hastings and Bexhill in the worst 10% of areas nationally. Ending in July 2022 after two successful years of delivering free support to start-ups and established businesses in Hastings, Sidley, and Central Bexhill to grow, the project had helped over 300 local businesses and individuals in the area as well as helping to create 46 new jobs for local people.
The Essex County Council funded project, Backing Essex Business, provides business support across the county of Essex. Augmented by further funding from North Essex authorities to ensure that advice on business finance was available to all that need it, the project also includes the delivery of a range of workshops working with the University of Essex and FRP Advisory, as well as a Peer-to-Peer Network, Group to Grow.
Her Biz is a project supported by funding from NatWest. It is a free start up programme available for female entrepreneurs from East Sussex and Kent to help gain the tools, knowledge, and confidence to start their business venture, with a £500 prize to put towards start up costs in an optional business plan competition.
Training
Encouraging future development is something very important to us at Let’s Do Business Group. As an employer in Hastings, the group has supported a large number of apprentices from Business Administration, Business Management and Marketing.
Whilst our motto for helping other businesses is ‘Grow. Launch. Thrive.’, this is something we advocate within the group. Giving pathways to develop through guidance and support at Let’s Do Business Group has provided crucial insight to other businesses, helping them to see the incredible advantages apprentices have for business development.
One example of this at Let’s Do Business Group is our Business Manager, Emily Wright. Emily began her career with the group as a business admin apprentice back in 2013. She has had to overcome a series of challenges throughout her life, but with enthusiasm and determination, she has continually improved herself through qualifications and learning from her peers. Recently, Emily was awarded the Best Progression award at the East Sussex Graduation Ceremony 2022, an award from Sussex Council of Training Providers (SCTP) which recognises the ‘exceptional determination and efforts of an apprentice in the achievement of their apprenticeship through challenging times’.
Recognition
Our services are something that we pride ourselves in and being recognised for it is an achievement that we are proud of.
In 2021, Let’s Do Business Group won the ‘Professional Service of the Year Award’ at the Sussex Business Awards hosted by Platinum Media Group. This award was one that aimed to ‘recognise excellence in a regulated sector under-pinned by a strong financial performance and adherence to a professional code of conduct’.
The Group also won the ‘Enterprise Support Organisation of the Year Award’ at the National Enterprise Network Awards hosted by the National Enterprise Network. This award was one that ‘recognised organisations who have established and maintained recognition and impact within their local communities’ throughout the year.
A core belief that we have is demonstrating resilience and providing ongoing support for businesses across the South East and East of England. We are so delighted that the group is being acknowledged for our services as we continue this model in the future years to come.
If you would like to find out more about our services, or discuss how we might be able to work together, then please Get in Touch
