Royal Greenwich Celebrates Success Of E- Business Support Programme

by our RBG Correspondent in Woolwch

On Thursday 29 September, 80 local businesses came together to celebrate the success of the E-Business Support Programme in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

The event focused on the accomplishments made by businesses in the borough who have taken part in the Programme.

The Greenwich E-Business Support Programme, run by South East Enterprise in partnership with the Council, is open to all local businesses and is designed to help them develop their online presence, improve productivity through making small and cost-effective changes that will boost sales and attract new customers. To this end, businesses engaging in the programme to date have reported in excess of £8 million in increased turnover.

The evening of celebrations included speeches from the leader, Councillor Denise Hyland and Councillor Sizwe James as well as managing director for South East Enterprise, Tony Goldstein.

Councillor Denise Hyland, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich (top), said: “Standard business practices are no longer strong enough to convey your business presence; social media is no longer an optional extra – it is an essential part of day-to-day business and businesses need to harness it in order to thrive. Local businesses are a fundamental part of our economy and their performance determines the borough’s prosperity, which is why in 2013, the Council took the decision to invest £750,000 in supporting our small and medium-sized businesses and enterprises to gain the knowledge and skills to embrace the opportunities that social media can give.

“Many of our business owners live and work in Greenwich and they are an integral part of the economic and social life in Greenwich providing employment opportunities, and inspiring other businesses to invest here.”

* Former Mayor Norman Adams, Cllr Denise Hyland
and Michael Finlay at the business event. (Credit RBG)

Councillor Sizwe James, Cabinet Member for Transport, Economy and Smart Cities, said: “The Programme has been a huge success, with increased turnover in the first 2 years exceeding £8million and the creation of 76 new jobs for the businesses taking part. I would encourage all our businesses to take advantage of the free training and support that the E-Business Support Programme has to offer - digital media is the future for promoting businesses. This event provided a great opportunity to engage a lot closer with the businesses in our borough.” 

Tony Goldstein, Managing Director of South East Enterprise, said: “It’s outstanding to see so many businesses at this special event celebrating the success of the E-Business Support Programme. This shows that businesses in the borough have taken full advantage of using the many forms of digital media to enhance and promote their business to the vast community.”

Andrew Slater, of Eat Sleep Love, said: “The biggest single challenge since opening Eat Sleep Love, the unique baby boutique, is making people aware of who we are and what we do and converting them into loyal customers. In today's market place, you need to have a strong social media presence, this takes time but also knowledge to set up. South East Enterprise has been instrumental in our social media development, providing excellent training courses and ongoing support. 

“As the benefits of social media for business came to fruition, we moved onto e-commerce and SEE's support for online business has been invaluable. We wouldn't be on target to achieve £100k of sales in our first year without their input. I hope the Royal Borough of Greenwich continues to fund this exceptional resource."

You can find out more about SE Enterprise at www.seenterprise.co.uk

Find out more about the E-Business Support Programme.