Help is one call away: how the Growth Hub helpdesk can support you

Posted on January 31, 2023 | Mark Rolland

Get the latest business support, tailored to your needs, by contacting the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub business support helpdesk today.

The business support landscape is vast and ever-changing – funding opportunities come and go, different programmes for different business needs spring up, and there are so many resources available that it can be hard to know what’s right for you before you dedicate your time to it.

We at the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub understand that navigating this landscape can be daunting, which is why we work to make the process straightforward and person-led; putting you and your needs at the centre of the conversation, and connecting you with the most relevant support.

One of the ways we support businesses is through our helpdesk. ‘Helpdesk’ might be a word you roll your eyes at – there’s a perception that you’re talking to a robot, being put through an automated process that wastes your time more than it helps you. The York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub helpdesk is made up of a team of friendly, knowledgeable people who understand your needs and can connect you with the right support, fast.

Meet Faye from the Growth Hub business support helpdesk

Faye is a member of our helpdesk team and is responsible for connecting businesses with relevant support. Read on to hear from Faye about the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub business support helpdesk and how she has helped local businesses:

I am often the first person a business will interact with when they contact the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub, and my role is to help them navigate the hectic world of business support and connect them with the best options for their needs. The role of the helpdesk is to man the helpdesk, unsurprisingly! This isn’t a physical desk, but more the front-line of the support we provide.

My duties include:

Responding to all email enquiries that have come through via our support email address or via our website.
Answering phone call queries.
Speaking with our local authority partners, and getting in touch with any business enquiries that have come through from them.
General administrative support for the Growth Hub team (e.g. updating our database of support schemes).

What do you do when a business contacts the helpdesk?

When a company gets in touch looking for business support, the first thing I do is run through a quick diagnostic with them. This consists of several questions to help figure out the basics of the business and the support they’re looking for. This is because there’s a whole range of support available to businesses in our area both internally and externally but, oftentimes, the options are targeted at specific businesses or business needs. So, running through the diagnostic helps me triage a business to the most relevant support opportunities available for them.

Business contacts the Growth Hub business support helpdesk and completes a quick support diagnostic. The helpdesk provides them with resources and information that's tailored to their business needs. In the next few months, the Growth Hub follows up with them to provide them with the latest, relevant opportunities.

Many of the businesses I speak with are start-up businesses or pre-starts. It’s always great to hear that someone is thinking of starting a business, but I know that it can be a massive and scary step, so I like to check in with them 1-3 months after their initial query to see how they’re getting on and if there is anything extra that I can do to help.

How has Faye helped local businesses?

Faye answered my email quickly with loads of helpful links and resources.

Faye has been awesome in terms of pointing us in the right direction and is very helpful and very knowledgeable. A big thank you to her!

Go Indian Spice is a York-based business that sells vegan, gluten-free and 100% natural spice blends to bring more flavour to people’s home cooking. Dave and his wife, Lucky, founded Go Indian Spice in 2021 from a shared passion for great Indian cooking inspired by their Punjabi heritage. Dave has been in contact with Faye from the beginning of his journey with Go Indian Spice.

Here’s a breakdown from Faye about Dave’s journey with the Growth Hub so far:

March 2021 – Dave got in touch with the business support helpdesk regarding his brand-new business selling spice blends. I sent Dave our start-up pack and registered him for our newsletter so he could stay up to date regarding news in our area.
Dave rang again a few weeks later with questions regarding a start-up course we had previously ran with the PopUp Business School (now Rebel Business School). I told him that we weren’t running the programme at the moment, but would alert him if this changed. In the meantime, I directed him towards some resources regarding marketing and networking, which was positively received.
June 2021 – I emailed Dave to let him know the start-up course was accepting applications.
August 2021 – Dave rang to say that Go Indian Spice had been shortlisted for Best New Food Product at the Garbutt & Elliott awards. He thanked us as he would never have known about the awards if it wasn’t for our newsletters.
February 2022 – Catch up with Dave regarding some programmes offering digital skills support (e.g. marketing strategy and website development). Dave had now begun selling his spice blends on Amazon. He wasn’t aware of the voucher scheme his local council had organised, so I recommended he sign up to his council’s newsletter.
Later in the month, I rang Dave with some announcements in his council’s newsletter that he may find useful.
July 2022 – I had a discussion with Dave about Hatch’s New Founder incubator programme that is designed for underrepresented entrepreneurs.
August 2022 – I emailed Dave with information about StriveLive – an incubator programme we were running for start-ups.

As you can see, the support and communication Dave’s received from the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub hasn’t been focused on finding a quick fix, but providing continued guidance throughout Go Indian Spice’s business journey. When asked about the support he’s received from the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub, Dave said:

“Your organisation is always very helpful whenever we have questions about the services you offer.

This is a great platform, especially for a small and upcoming business such as ours in terms of needing assistance.”

What support can the helpdesk direct you to?

The York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub helpdesk team can direct you to relevant, specialist support that’s focused on your needs. Whether you’re starting or growing, we can offer programmes and support that work with your business journey. Contact us today.

For starting businesses, we have a range of support available, including:

Start-up and pre-start programmes and training such as the popular StriveLive Start-Up Incubator and Hatch Enterprise workshops.
On-demand webinars covering business basics in areas such as finance, marketing, management and digital skills.
Up-to-date information and knowledge around the latest funding, events and start-up opportunities.

If you’re looking to grow your business, we can connect you with our Business Relationship Managers, who have a wide range of expertise amongst them. They work with you to figure out what your business needs to get to that next level, whether that’s a small or big step. We can also:

Connect you with recruitment and workforce upskilling support such as the Apprenticeship Hub.
Direct you to the latest growth funding opportunities.
Help you navigate topics such as making your business more sustainable and business planning for future growth.