Edinburgh

Business Gateway Edinburgh offers expert support and guidance to new and existing businesses.

How we can help

Business Gateway Edinburgh offers a variety of support to new and existing businesses in Edinburgh. The support we offer is delivered on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council.

Through Business Gateway you can access:

Free advice from our experienced business advisers to help you start a business or find new ways of doing business
Free local workshops and seminars - ranging from start-up sessions to specific skills events - covering marketing, finance and e-commerce
Free business information. The team offers information on all aspects of starting and growing a business. We are in partnership with other professional organisations - so you can be sure you will receive the best possible support.

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.

We currently have grants of up to £2,000 available to help local businesses increase their overseas trading. The grant is delivered by our Business Gateway Edinburgh team and funded through the UK's Local Growth Fund.

The support is designed to help companies meet the needs of new or existing international markets, supporting local employment and investment in the process.

Full guidelines are supplied as part of the application process and should be read carefully, but you may be eligible to apply if you are:

a company registered in the UK
headquartered in the city of Edinburgh council area
already trading
a first-time applicant to the Export Support Grant scheme.

There are a limited amount of grants available. Applications can only be submitted through a Business Gateway Adviser, who is also able to offer broader business support. If you do not have an adviser already, please contact us and one will be assigned to you.

Business Gateway Edinburgh can help you on your journey to becoming a more sustainable business.

Fill in this form and email it to bglothian@bgateway.com with the subject line 'Sustainability Support' and one of our team will be in touch to discuss your needs further and help you build an action plan.

The Council has a range of services that are useful to new start businesses.

These include:

Environmental Health - Free advice and training on food safety, health and safety at work. Call 0131 529 3030 or visit the City of Edinburgh Council website.
Licensing - Find out if your business needs a license to trade and how to apply. Call 0131 529 4208 or visit the Edinburgh Council website.
Business Rates (Non-Domestic Rates) - For information on the billing and collection of business rates call 0131 469 5746 or visit the Edinburgh Council website.
Product Testing- Scientific Services provides a wide range of laboratory testing and scientific advisory services for businesses and the public. Call 0131 555 7980, or visit the Edinburgh Council website for more details.
Trading Standards- Free business advice and trading on product safety standards. Call 0131 529 3030 or visit the Edinburgh Council website.

The Women's Business Centre is a website designed to support women at the pre-start and start-up through to growth stages of their business journey.

Operated by Women’s Enterprise Scotland, the Women's Business Centre website is free to access and offers dedicated, needs-based content on starting and growing a business, including stories, encouragement and top tips from leading business owners across Scotland.

Your local Business Gateway office can offer free support to any business considering making redundancies.

Our advisers can help you look at your business challenges and then help you make the next practical steps. Along with that we can introduce you to PACE – Partnership Action for Continuing Employment.

Want to speak to the team?

We offer local advice, webinars, events, networking and much more. So get in touch with us today.

Complete our contact form

Want to visit us?

Our Edinburgh office is open Monday - Thursday from 8:30am - 5pm, and Friday from 8:30am - 4pm. Please make an appointment in advance and a member of the team will be happy to help.

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