Grow Biz hopes to be enterprise hotspot

Perthshire enterprise support group Grow Biz has moved from Blairgowrie to new offices in Coupar Angus.

Grow Biz is a registered charity, provides support to anyone starting or growing a business in rural Perthshire.

Its new offices in the former Bank of Scotland building on Union Street will also be a new enterprise “hotspot” providing co-working space for start-up, small and micro businesses.

Since October 2016 Grow Biz has supported more than 900 new clients across all business sectors.

Its award-winning business mentoring programme, which has more than 70 participants, became the first in Scotland to achieve the Scottish Mentoring Network Quality Standard.

Chief executive Jackie Brierton said: “Grow Biz has come a long way in 12 years and this move to new premises reflects that.

“The Grow Biz model is simple but effective. We identify what businesses want and then secure the services required to meet that need.

“We offer one-to-one meetings with clients and our peer support and peer learning sessions are led by client demand – for us it is all about businesses supporting each other, often working collaboratively, encouraging economic activity in the area.

“We work with businesses of all shapes and sizes and pride ourselves on the professional, inclusive, friendly and free service that we offer.

“The team of self-employed contractors who work for Grow Biz providing expert and specialist advice and support to businesses in rural Perthshire has grown, and a larger office space was required.

“This sort of co-working space can also help to reduce the feeling of isolation that we know people who are self-employed can experience.”

Jackie Brierton, chief executive of GrowBiz.