Young business leaders can bid for support
Young business leaders in the Highlands are being offered a chance to join a dynamic and highly personalised business growth programme to help drive their businesses forward.
In October, a chocolatier, an estate agent and a seller of Indian spices, along with eight others, became the first young leaders to be selected for IMPACT30.
IMPACT30, organised by Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s (HIE) Northern Innovation Hub in partnership with consultancy business Anderson Anderson and Brown (AAB), is now offering a further 15 businesses an opportunity to engage in this support programme.
Julie Latif, of the House of Spice in Fort Augustus, who is part of the year-long programme’s first intake in November, said: ‘I have found IMPACT30 highly beneficial. The programme has helped me define future objectives for my business and realise how best to achieve my goals through its mentorship and support structure.
‘I would recommend taking part in IMPACT30 to anyone who has high aspirations for their business to seriously consider it.’
IMPACT30 aims to support the next generation of entrepreneurs by providing various forms of coaching and mentoring and tapping into industry leaders’ expertise.
People aged under 35 in a key decision-making role within young businesses formed in the past three years are eligible to take part.
Applicants are being asked to create a short video pitching themselves, their business and what they would like to take away from the programme.
Successful candidates will be selected by a panel from the IMPACT30 coaching team, HIE and AAB. Applications should be sent by February 24 with the programme beginning in April.
The Northern Innovation Hub, led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, is a set of projects in the Highland Council area seeking to support the biggest opportunities for the region to create a global competitive advantage.
The projects are targeted at supporting the long-term growth of small and emerging enterprises in sectors including life sciences, tourism, food and drink and the creative industries.
The Hub was funded by £11 million from the UK government as part of its £53 million investment in the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal, and has also received £3 million from the European Regional Development Fund and £2 million from Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
To find out more about Northern Innovation Hub and to apply for future cohorts for IMPACT30, visit nih.hie.co.uk.