The Gloucestershire Local Outreach Business and Enterprise Services (GLOBES) project is a new and innovative service that will assist social enterprises, businesses and personal development in Gloucestershire.

With Phoenix Fund assistance through the Small Business Service it hopes to improve the levels of entrepreneurship in the County and tackle social exclusion in the widest sense.

Have you ever dreamed of owning and running your own business? How about providing a job for yourself by becoming self-employed? For some people this is the only opportunity to become economically active.  In taking that decision, do you know where to go for information and advice on how to get started. At "GLOBES" we take the time, work at your pace to ensure you understand the process and provide practical advise.

What is the projects aim?

To foster and nurture business development in Gloucestershire by:

• Providing localised and targeted business support to the population of Gloucestershire to help develop start ups, new businesses and assist existing businesses.
• Working with other agencies provide business advice to social enterprises and in particular the minority ethnic economy, other disadvantaged communities and those suffering from rural deprivation. 
• Improving access to existing business support via holistic advice and mentoring support, providing a complimentary service to existing business service support providers.
• Providing an outreach service to identify business opportunities and the people who can access such opportunities, particularly women and young entrepreneurs.
• Being adventurous, identifying and sharing best practice, and influencing future mainstream business support provision.

This project will address the gap between business potential and business success. At present there are a number of support measures and funding initiatives available that are not being accessed by potential businesses either due to lack of awareness, lack of cohesive package of support, or, most worryingly, lack of confidence in business support services.

The perspective of this approach is that business support will be holistic, attempting to tackle the problems experienced within business start-up and growth. It will provide sensitive business support, premises support and management, marketing, marketing and market testing, training and education. The project will identify business opportunities and gaps within markets, and more importantly the people and help needed to plug those gaps.

GLOBES will recognise pre start-up opportunities and the individuals with real potential who have not had the support, confidence or skills to access current mainstream support. In addition, this project will assist existing businesses, helping them to grow and overcome any obstacles. GLOBES will provide long-term support and mentoring.

David Irwin, Chief Executive of SBS, said "I want to see a society that respects and values entrepreneurs, and in which everyone feels that there is the opportunity to start in business. We need to reach out to every corner of society and the Phoenix Development Fund grants will help us do that".

GLOBES is managed by Barton and Tredworth Developments Ltd (BTD Ltd). This is a regeneration company, which is located in the Barton Enterprise Centre at 99 Barton Street, and is situated near the social and economic hub of the area within 1/4 mile of the City Centre. The Enterprise Centre is also the home of Gloucestershire Ethnic Minority Business Association Ltd (GEMBA). It is a nucleus for business advice and assistance in the Gloucester area, and in this aspect it is assisted by the location of an outreach office of Business Link (Gloucestershire) within the centre and links to the Prince's Youth Business Trust.

Other community activities and functions, including training, advice and personal development takes place at the centre.

Funding for the "GLOBES" project  was provided by The Phoenix Fund: Development Fund, which is managed by the Small Business Service (SBS). The Development fund has provided £15m to support 50 organisations promoting enterprise in disadvantaged areas and communities across England. The project started in 2001 and after the Phoenix Fund assistance comes to an end the project will continue by working towards becoming self-sustainable.

For additional information contact the GLOBES  Project Manager at Barton Enterprise Centre, 99 Barton Street, Gloucester, GL1 4HR; Telephone 01452 544938, Email: globes@btd.co.uk

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