Our free E-business programme is successfully helping micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) safeguard jobs and increase business turnover.

To date over 2,000 businesses have signed up the programme which gives SME owners the digital skills to grow their business and improve their productivity. These businesses have reported £19,115,248 increase in business turnover combined. Through the programme these SMEs have safeguarded 2,043 jobs and created 475 new ones.

As of February 2024 the programme has been extended through UKSPF funding to include London Borough of Bromley, and will support all nine of our boroughs until March 2025.

Setting SMEs up to succeed

Businesses with fewer than 250 employees play a huge part in our local economy, yet statistically, almost half stop trading within 3 years of setting up.

To reverse this trend the Local London E-business Programme, which is fully funded and free for business owners, helps business owners:

Understanding each business is unique, the Local London E-business Programme offers bespoke opportunities for businesses to learn flexibly. Our expert trainers have held over 20,000 activities, equating to around ten per business on the programme, this includes one-to-one bespoke consultations, group training sessions and events.

The Local London E-business Programme in numbers

Over 2k Business Signed Up, 2000+ Jobs Safeguarded 475 - New Jobs Created Over £19m Increased Business Turnover

What SME owners say about the programme

“Thank you for the digital advice and support- the things you taught me are really, really useful! I’m now using Buffer every day, and my content keeps getting better and better! It has saved me so much time and effort I cannot express my gratitude! I will master Canvas too to create great promotional videos and am telling other entrepreneurs about the tools you showed me!”  Gabriel Csontos, Songdrop supported by Enterprise EnfieldSmiling man wearing orange t-shirt

“In July 2022 Law Lane joined Local London’s E-Business Programme. One of the first benefits of doing this was an increased social media presence following the implementation of a strategy produced by the programme.” Law Lane Solicitors, supported by Newham College.

“South East Enterprise has been there for us since the beginning of our journey. By participating in their e-business program, a combination of workshops and targeted one-to-one sessions, we gained the confidence and knowledge necessary to grow our business effectively and in line with the times.” London Leather Workshop, supported by South East Enterprise.

Watch our video to find out more about the E-business programme

Find the E-business programme near you

Reflecting the programme’s success, the Local London e-business programme has recently been granted UK Shared Prosperity Funding, allowing it to operate through our three expert providers in all nine of our London boroughs until March 2025.

Contact our nearest expert provider to you to find out more:

Related Content

⇒Read more news about the Local London E-business programme.

About the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Ahead of Small Business Saturday, you may be thinking about shopping locally to support businesses near you.

In this part of London micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an especially important role in our economy. Across our boroughs there are around 100,000 businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Only around 55% will make it past 3 years of trading. A huge number will not.

Whilst Small Business Saturday encourages customers to support these companies by shopping locally, we are helping SMEs in our boroughs to safeguard their futures with our free E-business programme. The programme is fully funded which means it is free for business owners, and can help them become more resilient and grow in numerous ways, for example:

1,600 business helped this year and growing​!

In the past 12 months the programme has helped over 1,600 micro and small businesses across our boroughs to develop their knowledge and confidence using digital software to make processes more efficient and increase sales.

There have been plenty of opportunities for businesses to learn flexibly: our three providers have held over 15,000 activities, including one-to-one bespoke consultations, group training sessions and events.

Testament to the programme’s success, the Local London e-business programme has recently been granted UK Shared Prosperity Funding, allowing it to operate in all nine of our London boroughs until March 2025.

What local business owners say

“Since joining the Programme I have managed to increase our company’s website visitors by 6,566% – our email marketing engagement by 450% and our social media presence has increased by 1,566% – yes unbelievable, AND its all still increasing!”  Mike Cooper, Inspiring Salons Ltd supported by Enterprise Enfield

​“I love the attention to detail and hands-on support I get for my business. The team is attentive and takes your business as their own – I highly recommend it to anyone who needs the support and wants to grow.” Fitcredibles, supported by Newham College.

“This support has been invaluable in helping me to understand what is required to prosper and grow. I attended the video workshop and learnt how to make a short film. The video I produced is now used by the BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy). I’m grateful for the help I received from SEE, my business has evolved into an expert consultancy practice.” NV Therapy, supported by South East Enterprise.

Find out more about the E-business programme

Watch our video to find out more:

Find the E-business programme near you

We have appointed 3 expert providers to deliver the programme:

Enterprise Enfield logoEnterprise Enfield: Enfield, Redbridge, Waltham Forest.
Find out more information about Enterprise Enfield

 

Newham College London logoNewham College of Further Education: Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Newham.
Find out more information about Newham College of Further Education

 

South East Enterprise logoSouth East Enterprise: Bexley and Greenwich.
Find out more information about South East Enterprise

Related Content

⇒Read more news about the Local London E-business programme.

⇒Find out more about Small Business Saturday UK

About the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

On 23 November, our team had the pleasure of attending the Newham Business Awards 2023, hosted by the Newham Chamber of Commerce.

The awards ceremony and gala dinner held at The Old Town Hall in Stratford, was an opportunity to celebrate some of the outstanding businesses in the borough.

Newham College, who deliver the Local London E-business programme in Newham, Havering, and Barking and Dagenham, sponsored the ‘E-Business of the year’ award. The category’s shortlist comprised some of the fabulous micro and small businesses who have been taken to the next level with help from the free programme, including winners on the night: OC Homes.

OC Homes (One Click Homes) was established by Newham born and raised brothers, Priyesh and Amar Upadhyaya, with an ambition to meet the needs of the growing property market in Newham, Waltham Forest and across East London. With an online focussed vision for the business from the outset, the pandemic accelerated their plans to go digital.

Award winners OC Homes hold their prize on stage in front of an audience.

The judges were impressed with their dedication to developing a fully online business. Within the space of around 12 months, and with the help of the E-business Programme delivered by Newham College, they have done just that.

Tony Varghese, Sales Director, OC Homes said “The E-Business programme helped us to strive, mainly after Covid where the industry was in danger. Not being able to do viewings and do business as we usually would, we almost reset, started again and the programme helped us to do a lot of things that other agencies were not doing digitally, and it’s put us here where we are today. Serving people of Newham.”

Newham Business Awards 2023 – E-Business of the year

Cut glass award for E-business of the year won by OC Homes at the Newham Business Awards 2023.

⇒ Read more about the awards 

Enjoy the same success as over 1600 businesses like yours

Over 1,600 local businesses in Newham, Barking and Dagenham and Havering are growing with free support from the E-business Programme delivered by Newham College, and the number is growing every month.

This support is fully-funded, meaning micro and SME business owners and sole traders who have been operational for over 6 months can get help to get more digital at no cost to them.

The programme begins with a consultation to get to you and your business, which is used to create a bespoke plan to help you achieve your ambitions. Through workshops, events and one-to-one training sessions you can learn how to market your business online, streamline processes, reach more customers and more.

Get in touch with the E-Business Programme delivered by Newham College

Where the team work:

 ⇒ Visit newham.ac.uk/ebusiness to find out about the programme in Newham, Havering and Barking and Dagenham.

In a different borough? We’ve got you.

⇒ Visit South East Enterprise to find out about the programme in Greenwich, Bexley, Bromley

⇒ Visit Enterprise Enfield to find out about the programme in Enfield, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.

Related news

Read some of our E-business success stories.