Access to support is pivotal to business growth, says Craig Rose from Seaweed & Co

There’s often a lot of noise around the phrase ‘business growth’ but in the North East there’s a tangible desire for the business community to foster success together. For many, accessing the support and advice available out there is challenging. But that’s changing thanks to the Growth Hub.

The online platform gives small businesses ‘one stop’ access to a range of support, and allows the North East business community to connect with and support each other.

One advocate, who recognises the value of business support for harnessing growth is Dr Craig Rose, founder of Seaweed & Co, based in North Shields. Craig said, “Business support has been hugely influential for us, I can’t emphasise enough how helpful the majority of people that we have engaged with have been. Each organisation made it very easy to work through the process, and stayed in regular contact.

“The North East is a great place to establish and grow a business. We are lucky to be in a region that cares about the people in it. It would be great to see the aspirations of the region as a whole being raised, by everyone realising the huge potential that remains untapped.”

Craig is one of three local businesses to feature in a live panel discussion as part of the ‘Growth Hub Goes Live’ event at The Sage, Gateshead, on Thursday 28 April. The event gives anyone looking to grow their business the opportunity to learn from the experiences of people like Craig, put their questions to the panel and discover what support is available to open doors for growth.

Also speaking at the event is Paul Varley, North East LEP board member and former CEO of the Newcastle Falcons. Commenting ahead of the event, Paul said, “I’m excited about the Growth Hub. North East businesses will be able to get what they need quicker and easier than ever before. This contributes to a strengthened economy in our region with more jobs and opportunities for all that live here.”