Orkney

Business Gateway Orkney is here to support businesses based in the Orkney Islands. We offer free and impartial business advice to anyone wanting to start up or develop a business within the islands.

View our offices Call us: 01856 898 684

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Meet the Team

There is a range of financial and other support available to new and growing businesses in Orkney. Please contact the Orkney office to discuss the eligibility.

The Council offers financial assistance to help businesses establish themselves, expand, develop and reach new markets.

Business Grants

There is a range of financial and other support available to new and growing businesses in Orkney. Please contact the Orkney office to discuss the eligibility.

Calvin
Business Adviser
Having grown up in an entrepreneurial family, Calvin has been around businesses all his life. In his 16 year career so far, he has helped many SME’s on their business journey – taking a particular focus on ensuring that the business is aligned to the personal desires and values of the owners and their team. As a business owner himself, Calvin understands first-hand how it feels to run a business. Using this awareness, and drawing on his experience as an athletics coach, Calvin brings a strong financial awareness to businesses, as well as helping owners identify value-adding sales opportunities, marketing and brand awareness, and development of their value proposition.
Adrian
Business Adviser
Adrian has 30 years business experience in management and finance positions. He worked 17 years for a large multinational company in the manufacturing sector after which he gained experience running his own small business. His career has included 10 years working in Asia and 5 years in Europe. The key skills that Adrian brings as a business adviser are business strategy and planning, financial modelling, cashflow planning and performance tracking. He has a passion for working with start-ups and businesses looking to grow and expand their opportunities.
Fiona
Business Adviser
Fiona has over 20 years of business experience, as a financial controller and manager of a large Orkney business, to running and growing a business alongside her husband. Fiona focuses on inspiring confidence and giving practical advice on starting and growing a business, with a longer-term focus on next stages and helping identify opportunities.
Adrian
Business Adviser
Adrian worked within the banking sector for 10 years leaving his role as business manager in September 2016 to pursue self-employment. Prior to his move into banking Adrian had 8 years’ self-employed experience in trading and property development.

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.

Sometimes a quick discussion with a local experienced business adviser is needed for a specific question or issue. We can arrange a 1 hour appointment in person, by phone or video with one of our local advisers, at no cost to you.

The range of topics include:

HR - recruiting and developing people, becoming an employer, legislation, redundancy
Digital - content management tools, website building, development and review, online trading, social media platforms, SEO, content creation, cyber security
Marketing - planning, competitor and market analysis, customer profiling, branding and brand development, reviewing and improving activity
Finance and funding - financial analysis, financial planning, identifying funding gaps and funding sources, profit analysis, debt management, tax obligations
Starting a business – top tips for business planning, budgeting, registering with HMRC

Additional time may be offered following the initial 1 hour meeting.

There are a number of relief schemes available which offer reduced non-domestic rates on qualifying business.

These include relief for small businesses (Small Business Bonus Scheme), empty properties, charities, rural businesses, renewable energy producers and nursing care establishments. Find out more or call 01856 8735 35.

Advice and guidance on planning issues is available.

Find out online if you need planning permission of a building warrant, make an application, find out about an application that’s has been made, or find out more about long term policies such as the Local Plan. Call 01856 873 535 or visit www.orkney.gov.uk.