Falkirk

Business Gateway in Falkirk offers businesses practical help and guidance. Whether you're starting up or growing a business, we provide access to publicly-funded business support services.

View our offices Call us: 01324 804 766

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Meet the Team

Our team of experienced business Advisers can help you to:

Prepare a business plan
Understand business finance and cash flows
Find ways to market your business
Access workshops
Access specialist support
Access to networking opportunities

We also have a dedicated team of specialist that can provide support covering the follow topics of business:

Marketing
Information technology
Finance
Procurement
Leadership and Organisational development
Digital media solutions
Environmental
HR

Carron
Principal Adviser
Carron is the Principal Officer for Business Support within the Growth and Investment Unit at Falkirk Council, responsible for the delivery of the Business Gateway service and local business support products. Carron has been supporting the business community for over 20 years and has extensive experience of managing business projects, support initiatives, financial assistance programmes and business training. Providing help and support to companies has been a main focus for Carron for over a decade, giving her the know-how to help individuals in the Falkirk area successfully start up and survive in business. Carron commented: “The team and I have the skills and experience to help new and existing businesses from all sectors to develop and grow locally, through events, training programmes and tailored, one to one advice”.
Mark
Business Adviser
Mark has joined the Business Gateway Falkirk team bringing with him over 30 years of providing businesses with support and guidance to help them achieve their aspirations. Mark has helped many pre-start businesses get established as well as helping many existing companies achieve their plans for growth and expansion. He has also worked previously in inward investment encouraging foreign companies to make Scotland their European base. His experience of supporting businesses through the public and private sector has enabled Mark to build up a vast network of support partners and intermediaries across the business support landscape and is dedicated to helping businesses overcome their challenges and finding solutions wherever possible to guide them to greater business success.
Lesley
Business Adviser
Lesley joined the Business Gateway Falkirk team in 2016, having previously worked for over 2 years with the Stirling team and supports local businesses in all sectors and at all stages of their business journey, from start-up to existing businesses that have the potential to grow. Lesley has many years’ experience supporting businesses and helping them achieve their growth ambitions. Previously Lesley worked as an Account Manager in the Banking sector for nearly 30 years, with most of her experience being in the Business, Commercial and Corporate divisions and offers a wealth of knowledge that helps her clients achieve their goals. Lesley has a wide network of business support contacts that she can refer businesses on to, and has successfully supported clients in accessing advisory and funding support from other enterprise agencies, including Scottish Enterprise.
Ally
Business Adviser
Ally brings a wealth of knowledge to Business Gateway with over 20 years’ banking experience with 10 years’ experience as a Business Manager. His skilled and natural approach in managing relationships and growth through financial support allows him to be able to support clients with a wide range of Business Banking matters. Ally supports pre-start, start-up & established business clients with both stated and unstated needs through quality conversations.
Louise
Business Adviser
With two decades of experience in Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, Louise is known for her extensive expertise and dedication to supporting SMEs. Over the past 10 years, she has made a significant impact at Business Gateway, working across multiple geographies, where she provides invaluable guidance to both emerging business owners and established companies. Through her experience in the wider Scottish Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, Louise has built strong networks, relationships and contacts with partners and intermediaries. Her experience of running her own business and her understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the SME sector has allowed her to offer tailored advice that drives growth, strategy and innovation.

There are many ways we can support your start-up journey.

Our Business Support Tool is a great place to begin. It takes just 10 minutes to complete and provides you with an instant toolkit with key resources & information. We'll then connect you with a member of the team at our local office for further support.

Our website offers a business plan guide and template to download when you’re ready, market reports and research, as well as handy online guides, articles and video tutorials. Plus, we have a great range of webinars to hone your start-up skills – from writing a business plan to marketing on a budget.

With our help, you could be in business sooner than you imagined.

Our resources and one-to-one support can help you strengthen your business.

Whether you’re looking to take on premises or learn more about digital marketing, we can help you take the next step. Get started by taking 10 minutes to complete our Business Support tool and get a personalised dashboard of online resources and webinars.

We can also offer 1-1 advice at a time that works for you. Together, you and your business adviser can create a strategic action plan to help you achieve your goals.

Our online resources and webinars can help you learn new skills, create opportunities and gain confidence. From HR to restructuring, innovation and digital marketing - we can help. And if specialist input is required, we can connect you to other sources of support.

Falkirk Business Clinics have been launched to provide access to specialist advice on topics such as HR, legal, digital, procurement and funding. Local professional experts on these topics are available for appointments at various clinics.

Digital Clinic

Need some more advice on Digital Matters?

Topics covered are websites; digital marketing & social media; IT infrastructure and E-commerce.

Legal Clinic

An opportunity to access legal advice from a local lawyer, providing expertise in many matters:

Company Law
Corporate Law
Commercial Contracts
Intellectual Property
Data Protection

Falkirk Council Procurement Clinics

Wanting to discover the best way to sell to Falkirk Council?

The Procurement and Commissioning Unit provide a support service to Falkirk Based Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) who are interested in doing business with the Council and are looking for procurement guidance and advice.

The Falkirk Council Low Carbon Advisory Service (LCAS) offers professional expert advice and support to Falkirk area businesses to save energy, reduce carbon emissions, increase resilience, boost profits and help play your part in tackling climate change.

What does this service include?

Practical advice on how to reduce energy consumption
Advise on resource efficiency – materials, water, waste, supply chains etc.
Help with measuring and reducing your carbon emissions
Environmental audit
Climate change awareness training
Support with how to market your sustainability achievements
Advice on potential funding for improvements and practical help with applications - Falkirk council Energy Efficiency fund.

What is available?

Up to 3 days fully funded support
Practical advice from experienced, qualified, impartial, professional experts
Wide range of sectors and industries covered

Who can apply?

Any private sector business with less than 250 employees.

How to apply:

*Expert Help is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

The Falkirk Council Expert Help scheme allows businesses to access support from a specialist to help them grow and develop their business for free.

What can this support be used for?

This support can be used for the following purposes

Marketing
IT and Digital Media
Finance
Procurement
Strategy, Organisational Development and HR

What is available?

Up to 3 days fully funded support
Advice from experienced, qualified, professional experts
Wide range of sectors and industries covered

Who can apply

Any SME (< 250 employees) involved in manufacturing or business to business services with ambition to grow turnover over the next 3 years.

The retail sector or B2C may be considered where the market is wider than local area eg implementation of e-commerce platforms.

How to apply

Expert help is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

Business Gateway Falkirk offers a professional HR Advisory Service providing information, advice and support in a broad range of employment matters.

Whether you already employ people, or are looking to hire someone for the first time, let us help you ensure you meet legislation and have the right staff for the job. With our dedicated HR Business Adviser, helpful guides, templates and workshops, you can select the method which suits you to ensure your staff are happy and your business can be a success.

Our expertise covers all areas of employment, from recruitment, working hours, training, legislation, health and safety and payroll.

Contact us to find out more.