- Created by TEN is among more than 50 businesses to benefit from programme
- Fully-funded by DCMS, course offers support to growing creative businesses
- Applications are now open for East Midlands Cohorts 4 and 5
Peer networking, face-to-face workshops and 1:1 mentoring made Create Growth an ‘enriching experience’ for a video production company co-owner in Leicester.
Created by TEN is an independent film production company specialising in film and commercial content with studios in Leicester and London.
Andy Gundelach heads up the Leicester-based operation, and was one of 17 business owners to recently complete cohort 2 of the £1.3m DCMS funded business support programme.
“The programme has provided me with a fresh perspective on various aspects of my business, enabling me to identify areas for improvement and implement new strategies for growth,” he said.
Attending the in-person workshops was one of the things Andy enjoyed most about the programme – delivered by Greenborough Management.
He explained: “It has been an incredibly valuable experience for me to step back from the day-to-day running of the business and invest time in working on the business itself.
“The face-to-face interaction with my peers has been truly refreshing. The ability to perceive genuine intentions and understand the honest challenges that other businesses are confronted with has been invaluable.”
Andy, along with other business owners on the cohort, also took advantage of 4 hours of mentoring and a bespoke business plan drawn up with the help of industry specific experts.
“The course was impeccably designed, its timing aligns perfectly with our current trajectory into a growth phase, making the shared insights and strategies even more impactful – it was such an enriching experience.”
Greenborough Management will run cohort 4 – starting in September and the final cohort kicks off in October and will be managed by CDI Alliance.
Businesses on Greenborough Management-led Cohort 4 will benefit from in-person sessions focusing on:
Diagnostic: Identifying business needs and drawing up a bespoke action plan
Workshops: Delivered by experts, covering Business Model and Innovation; Markets and Customers; Leadership, People and Processes; Finance and Funding, and Business Growth Plan.
Masterclasses: Two sessions, all with businesses.
The penultimate meet-up will be a Q&A session, before an evaluation and onward referral session will conclude the programme.
Those who sign up for the final cohort with CDI Alliance will benefit from a predominantly virtual offering.
After an initial online business health check, they will attend a full day in person networking and training session.
They will then benefit from:
Eight 90-minute virtual masterclasses covering themes including leadership, marketing, sales, finance, and business planning
1:1 specialised mentoring support
Expert Q&As
There will also be the option for all cohorts to complete a fully-funded 12-hour investment readiness workshop with Lincolnshire Business Angels to help businesses prepare for growth.
More than 50 SMEs from across Leicester, Leicestershire, Derby and Derbyshire, Lincoln and Lincolnshire, and Rutland have taken part in the programme.
Those on the first three cohorts range from marketing and design agencies, makers, architects, theatre companies and video producers.
The aim of the programme, organised and led by the East Midlands Creative Consortium (EMC²), is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to move creative businesses to investment readiness.
EMC² aims to support 100 creative businesses across three years through four cohort groups. Cohort 2 is recruiting now and will offer a similar level of support to the first group.
Applications for cohorts 4 and 5 of the programme are open now – anyone interested in applying can find out more here.
About EMC²
East Midlands Creative Consortium (EMC²) is a community of business support and creative organisations from around the East Midlands. Members include local authorities, universities, local enterprise partnerships, and many other organisations in the private, public and voluntary sector. EMC² came together through its successful £1.3m bid for the Government’s Create Growth Programme. The bid was led by the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP).
About Create Growth
Create Growth is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) for participating regions to provide a bespoke package of support for high-growth creative businesses, and to help them secure commercial investment. Participating businesses gain expert business support to get them investment-ready, facilitating access to additional funding from Innovate UK and commercial investors in 2023 and beyond.
