The Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership’s business matchmaking website advicefinder.co.uk is offering literally hundreds of hours of free professional advice from the city region’s leading business consultancies.
Reporting strong uptake since its launch in September 2014 advicefinder.co.uk has close to 350 advisers registered to deliver professional advice on a range of subjects from law to marketing. With applicants accessing an hour’s consultation without charge, the value of the advice on offer runs into tens of thousands of pounds.
Since its launch, the programme has attracted huge interest in its bid to help local SMEs access commercial, professional advice which is designed to stimulate business growth and to provide a better understanding of the range of publicly-funded support available.
Free to use, Advicefinder.co.uk matches businesses with the local advisers with its unique ‘matchmaking’ service. Developed in consultation with LEP partners in local authorities, chambers of commerce, professional advisers and other local businesses, the site enables applicants to select advice that best fits their business.
The LEP estimates that millions of pounds a year is spent on advice outside of the city region when that advice can be found on businesses’ doorsteps which would keep that spending in the region.
Mark Basnett, Executive Director at the LEP, said: “Advicefinder.co.uk now has hundreds of live profiles and has attracted considerable interest since launching last September.
“The Liverpool City Region is awash with experienced advisers yet often, finding and accessing the right advice for your business can be a challenge. This website is a useful tool that can help businesses find the relevant advice and importantly, retain spending in the region. This website can save users time, money and, at the same time, boost the local economy.”
The website has a user-friendly search tool allowing businesses to access advice from specialists in; technology, financial services, property, law, sales and marketing, export and training. Advicefinder.co.uk also offers users access to helpful business documents such as a business plan template and a procurement template.
Prospective advisers can register their details and area of expertise on the website. A large majority of the advisers on the website will provide the first hour of advice free of charge to local SMEs accessing their services through the system. The website also has a review facility, allowing users to share their views on the advice received.
Advicefinder.co.uk was launched under the LEP’s wider New Markets Programme business support initiative, which can support 35% of the cost of advice for eligible SMEs to enable them to grow.
For more information about the site, or to register as an adviser please visithttp://www.advicefinder.co.uk/