West Dunbartonshire

We work with businesses at all stages of their development. Whether you have an idea and want to work for yourself or maybe you already run a well established business and have aspirations to grow, we are here to help!

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How we can help

West Dunbartonshire Council have a range of start-up and growth grants available to businesses within the West Dunbartonshire area to support their growth and the creation of local jobs. Further information on the grants and support available can be accessed here.

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.

At Business Gateway West Dunbartonshire we have access to specialist HMRC tax advisers, who are on hand to help you with everything you need to know.

This includes providing the essential advice and training to ensure you have the necessary knowledge to fulfil your legal commitments, whether you complete your own self-assessment or have a tax adviser.

At Business Gateway West Dunbartonshire we work very closely with the Employability team at West Dunbartonshire Council and are able to identify potential grant funding to support the recruitment of new employees.

Recruitment an apprentice or trainee

Taking on an apprentice or trainee for many businesses is the most viable route to growing a team.

By recruiting an apprentice or trainee, your business can benefit from fresh thinking and someone who is ready to adopt your business values.

Access Customised Training

This service provides access to a range of training opportunities that can support your recruitment processes.

Workforce Development

We can provide access to a range of support mechanisms that can encourage the growth of your business by developing your existing workforce.

There are a number of different agencies that can support workforce development. By contacting us, you will be able to access the support of these agencies through one local point of contact.

Every business is different and we understand there will be times when you need to access specific support and expertise along the way, in order to grow.

We have a wide range of areas which we can support you on from employing people to protecting your ideas, even developing growth strategies, exporting and much more!

The list is not exhaustive, so if there are other areas where you feel your business could benefit from specialised advice, please speak to us. If the particular area of expertise is not covered by the local team we have wider networks and contacts to bring in exactly what you need.

Below you will find the most popular areas of specialist expertise that businesses in West Dunbartonshire are benefitting from right now.

Employing People

Whether you are an existing employer or you’re thinking about recruiting your first employee, our advisers are here to help! From identifying the skills you need, to assessing training requirements and other considerations for your business, they can help you understand the processes for recruitment and employment. We can help you get the maximum business benefit from your people.

Developing & Protecting your Ideas

If you have a great idea then the first thing to do is to take advice BEFORE you tell anyone about it! We can help you understand trademarks, copyright and other areas of intellectual property in order that you can protect your ideas and inventions.

Marketing & Growing your Sales

Understanding your market is essential for the success of any business. We can help you to develop a strategy to target your marketing resources which gives you the best possible chance of success. Good marketing will create opportunities to sell and we’ll help you to turn your enquiries into money in the bank.

Harness the Power of the Web

If your business doesn’t have a cohesive online strategy then you may well be losing out. Trading online and using social media effectively can transform your business. Our industry specialists can help you to use the web to grow your business and manage your online reputation.

Developing a Strategy for Growth

Many businesses find they experience ‘growing pains’ as they expand. Our advisers have experience of developing larger enterprises and can help you to keep the growth and momentum going. Using short, sharp, meaningful tools such as Growth Strategy Workshops and Business Development Reviews they can help you to see beyond short-term obstacles and focus on delivering real growth in your business.

Developing International Markets

Taking the first step towards trading internationally can seem daunting, but our specialists can help you to develop an effective and controlled strategy. We partner with organisations such as SmartExporter and SDI to help you target your international sales.

Improving Energy Efficiency

Reducing your overheads is essential to ensure your business can trade profitably and grow efficiently. By partnering with specialists such as the Crichton Carbon Centre, our specialists can help you manage your costs and reduce your environmental footprint.

We recognise that young entrepreneurs often have great drive and enthusiasm. They see opportunities where others see problems, but can often face bigger barriers.

At Business Gateway West Dunbartonshire we have strong links with The King's Trust and Young Enterprise Scotland, which means we can help you access the best support and advice.

Funding

West Dunbartonshire Council is committed to facilitating growth in the local economy, providing a wide range of funding and support interventions for local businesses as they develop. Through its partner organisation, Business Gateway, the council offers free advisory services and expert help to enhance access to local and external funding initiatives to support business expansion and increased employment.

Finding Business Premises

Is working from home really the best option for you or would it be better to source a small office space? Maybe you need premises to start trading. Either way, we can assist you in finding vacant industrial and commercial units to meet your needs in the West Dunbartonshire Council area. Not only that, there may be support available which your local adviser will be able to provide more information on.

Experience shows that businesses are far more likely to survive a disaster if they have thought about it in advance, and planned accordingly.

Protecting the future and reputation of a business, whatever the size, has to be the number one priority for every business owner.

The smaller your business, the more important it is to have a contingency plan in place.Any incident, no matter how small, is capable of impacting on your business and affecting profitability.

Even a sole trader is advised to have systems in place to be able to continue their work in case of theft, flooding, fire, IT and utility failures.

What is a Business Continuity Plan?

A Business continuity plan will identify all the requirements which are essential to keeping your business running. It provides a set of instructions on what to do at a time of crisis and should set out clear roles and responsibilities. It should list the actions that will allow key business activities to continue in the most difficult circumstances.

Types of risk