BUSINESS IDEA,GOT A GREAT

Creative Enterprise Support Limited is the enterprise division of printing.com plc, a Delivery Partner of the Government’s Start Up Loan Scheme

BUT NEED FUNDING AND BUSINESS MENTORING?

Got an idea? Have the drive and business vision? Need business

advice and help securing funding? If so, the Government’s

Start-Up Loan Scheme may be for you.

The Start-Up Loan Scheme, headed up by James Caan, helps young

entrepreneurs secure funding and business mentoring.

The Start-Up Loan Scheme is open to anyone based in England

between the ages of 18-30. The scheme provides the necessary

‘seed fi nance’ for young entrepreneurs who have a good idea and

entrepreneurial drive, but who may struggle to obtain bank fi nance.

Applicants can apply for loans of anything between £2,500 - £10,000.

In exceptional circumstances higher amounts can be considered.

Alongside funding, Start-Up Loan applicants receive mentoring to

ensure that their business has an increased chance of success. All

mentors have extensive experience of supporting business start ups.

Mentoring works in two ways:

Your mentor will help you prepare your business plan and review your

fi nal loan application. Once satisfi ed that your business plan ‘stacks

up’ a Start-Up Loan will be authorised.

Once the loan has been approved, you will be allocated a mentor

who will liaise with you at regular intervals during your fi rst year of

operation to provide additional advice and support as you launch and

grow your business.

Start-Up Loan SchemeWHAT IS IT?

Got an idea, drive and business vision but need advice and help to secure funding?

The Start-Up Loan scheme is a Government initiative to help fund and mentor young entrepreneurs

Eligibility

To apply for a Start Up Loan you must :

Be aged between 18 & 30

Be living in England

Have a business idea

Want to take control of your future

Former ‘dragon’ James Caan is Chairman of the Government’s Start-Up Loan Scheme.

Growing your Business

Loan approval process

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We are an approved Delivery Partner for the Start-Up Loan Company

and the Enterprise division of printing.com plc.

As a Delivery Partner, we assist applicants with their business plans

and make sure they ‘stack up’ before authorising a Start-Up Loan.

We also provide additional mentoring as you begin to grow your

business.

We understand taking a company from ‘bedroom’ to Stock-Market

Start-up. That’s exactly what our Founder, Tony Rafferty did.

With a £3,000 loan Tony started the business in the middle of the last

recession, going onto raise several millions by listing his company on

the London Stock Exchange in 2004.

Since then we have helped hundreds of people start their own

businesses. Helping them raise fi nance and providing that all-

important mentoring.

We are now making our expertise available to all entrepreneurs

applying for a loan through the Government’s Start-Up Loan Scheme.

We specialise in ‘creative’ businesses of all types, whatever that may

be. Gardeners creating gardens, plumbers designing bathrooms,

web designers, graphic designers, app designers, fashion designers,

jewellery designers and tattoo artists to name a few.

To clarify, you do not need to start a printing.com Franchise or even

do printing as part of your business for us to help you. This is simply

about us helping entrepreneurs from creative sectors start their own

businesses.

Creative Enterprise SupportWHO WE ARE

Creative Enterprise Support assist applicants with writing their business plans

Creative Enterprise Support provides mentoring along the way

The not so small print

The Start-Up Loan is a personal loan granted by the Start-Up Loan Company at an interest rate which currently stands at 6%. Serious

consideration should be taken before applying for a Start-Up Loan. If you have a query regarding the Loan then please contact us directly.

Once the business plan ‘stacks up’ a Start-Up Loan is approved

We have helped hundreds of people secure fi nance to start their own ‘creative’ businesses.

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The Application Process

Here are the four steps we’ve put in place to help you build your business.

HOW IT WORKS

To apply, drop us an email at entrepreneurs@printing.com with your

business idea, name, contact details and national insurance number.

One of our local mentors will contact you directly to discuss the

next steps

Apply

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Need help with your business plan?

We’ll provide you with templates to help you turn your idea into a

business. A mentor will help you prepare your business plan and

answer any queries you may have from cash fl ow projections to ways

to market your business.

Alternatively sign up to one of our regional impact days to get your

business idea moving forward.

Already have a business plan?

If you already have a business plan then we can fast track your

application and have your loan approved within a week.

Business Planning

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Once you have completed your business plan, a mentor will meet

with you to review your application before fi nal approval takes

place.3Review

Approval

4If your business plan ‘stacks up’ then we will authorise a Start-Up

Loan of anything between £2,500 to £10,000. You will then be

allocated the best suited mentor who will be on hand to support

and help your business grow.

Mentoring

As part of your Start-Up Loan, you are allocated a mentor who will

liaise with you at regular intervals of the fi rst year to review how your

business is developing.

At each review we will provide you with templates to help you

analyse your business activity. Each review will cover topics such

as number of clients, sales per month and sales per client in order

to help you identify your successes and areas where your business

could improve.

We understand that no business plan is static and needs adapting

on a continual basis. Mentoring sessions also provide you with the

opportunity to discuss in confi dence any new ideas or products you

want to develop as well as any new strategies you want to implement

to grow your business.

Every month mentors will host various online webinars. Log on from

your desktop (ideally with your headset) and listen to a mentor lead

an online training session. You will have the opportunity to ask any

questions via the online messaging function.

Webinars cover a variety of topics ranging from sales and key

account management to cash control and collecting debts.

Sales

Key Account Management

Marketing/Promotion

Cash Control/Collecting Debts

Thinking about Quality

Ongoing Development

HELPING YOUR BUSINESS GROW

Mentors will provide additional advice and support during your fi rst year in business

Our monthly webinars cover the following topics:

Sign up to monthly webinars covering a range of business

topics to help you grow your business.

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“Whilst at college I completed various niche freelance projects for

clients in the UK and the US and decided I wanted to start my own

business designing app interfaces.

However I was having trouble securing the fi nance I needed to

launch my business until I heard about the Start-Up Loan Scheme

through Creative Enterprise Support.

My mentor offered great advice throughout the application

process. It was the fi rst time I had written a business plan and it was

reassuring to have the support and experience of a mentor.

My loan was approved within two weeks and I’m now looking

forward to developing my portfolio of clients and hope to hire

another person within the next year or so.”

Case Studies

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AGE: 22

BUSINESS: App Interface Designer

LOCATION: Wigan

“I started my business a couple of months ago and hit the ground

running. But I was struggling with writing my business plan and cash

fl ow projection. I also needed advice on how I could take my business

to the next level.

Working with my mentor helped me realise how I want my business to

grow and what I need to focus on in order to achieve this.

The mentoring I’ve received so far has been invaluable in writing my

business plan and applying for the loan and I’m looking forward to

growing my business.”

PAUL EARNDENFRONT FRESH SOLUTIONS

JAMIE SYKEJAMIE SYKE DESIGN

AGE: 24

BUSINESS: Graphic, Web and IT Services

LOCATION: Liverpool

FAQs

How much can I borrow?

Ordinarily you can borrow between £2,500 - £10,000. Your business

mentor will work with you to understand your idea and business

plan to help you determine a suitable level of funding.

Am I eligible?

You must be between 18-30 at the time of applying for the loan and

have the right to live and work in the UK. At this point in time the

business that you are planning to start must be located in England.

How do I apply?

You can apply by e-mailing entrepreneurs@printing.com with your

business idea along with your full name, address and national

insurance number.

One of our mentors will contact you to discuss your idea in more

detail and outline the next steps.

What are the next steps?

You will be invited to attend an online webinar where we will discuss

your idea further and start building your business plan. Alternatively

if you are based near one of our regional centres we will invite you

to an ‘Impact Day’.

If you already have a business plan ready, then our mentors can fast

track your application and have it approved within a week.

Can you tell me more about the loan?

The Start-Up Loan is a personal loan. It is offered at a fi xed interest

rate which currently stands at 6%. In some instances a ‘repayment

holiday’ is available for up to 12 months.

What’s the repayment period?

The term of the loan can be anything up to 5 years. Your mentor

will discuss your options with you and help you decide the best

repayment terms for your business.

Can more than one person in the company apply?

Yes - we can review applications from 4 or 5 people from the same

business. That would mean that 4 business partners could each

borrow anything up to £10,000.

What other support will I receive?

Your business mentor will work with you to help prepare your business

plan. They will then authorise your loan application where appropriate.

After you have started the business your mentor will liaise with you at

regular intervals during your fi rst year to offer additional advice and

support.

Your mentor can also provide straightforward advice to important

questions such as “Should I be VAT registered?”, “Should I get a

business bank account?”, “What’s the best way to take credit card

payments?” and “Do I need to register or tell anybody that I’ve now

started a business?”

To apply simply email entrepreneurs@printing.com with your business idea, name, address and national insurance number

Approved Delivery Partner of

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Creative Enterprise Support

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CONTACT: ENTREPRENEURS@PRINTING.COMWWW.PRINTING.COM/ENTREPRENEURS

Creative Enterprise Support Ltd. is the enterprise division of printing.com plc.

VAT Registration No. GB 764 5390 08 | Registered in England No. 272 8004

Registered Offi ce: Third Avenue, Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1FG

CES/SH/AL-JM/05-13/R1

Third Avenue | The Village | Trafford Park | Manchester | M17 1FG

Got an Idea?If you have the drive and passion to start your own business

but need advice and help with fi nancing then drop us an email

at entrepreneurs@printing.com. Our mentors are on hand to

discuss any business idea you may have and help you start your

business.