Support for Start-Ups

Business Planning & Financial Forecasting

Every business needs a plan - both you and any investors need to know your business will work. We will help you flesh out your idea, putting numbers into a straightforward business plan and creating a real view of your future profitability.

Assistance with Funding

Many businesses need a form of funding to get off the ground. With our experience of business finance, equity funding and grant applications, we can help you put your ideas into a form that justifies an investment in your business.

Administrative Set-Up

Setting up a business can be a daunting task. Let us help you set up your administrative and financial processes so you are free to start working straight away, knowing the basics are taken care of.

Launch Marketing & Publicity

Get off to a great start with a co-ordinated approach to your launch marketing. We can help you get your message out to a targetted audience, quickly building your client base through advertising, online promotion and public relations.

Stock Planning

For a retail business, getting your stock right can mean the difference between a slow start and a successful launch. We will help you research and plan your stock for the best possible result.

Developing your Business

Business owners often struggle to do essential tasks like marketing, financial admin, budgeting and planning - because they are too busy getting the job done. Conversely, they might find themselves unable to do the 'real' work, because they are too bogged down running their business. In either situation, SBS can help.

Financial administration & planning

If your financial admin is taking up too much time, we can help. Our inexpensive bookkeeping services will ensure you stay on top of your accounts and VAT returns, and you'll have the numbers you need to plan for the future. We can help with that, too.

Marketing Planning & Support

Marketing often gets put aside as a business grows - but you'll need to keep it up if you're going to maintain a flow of new customers. We can help you plan and execute your marketing, and we can provide a boost if you've let it slide.

Event & Project Management

Maybe you've been meaning to organise an event for ages, but haven't got round to it. We'll help you plan it, then make it happen.

Retail Consultancy

We can help with all aspects of retail business - including stock planning, margin improvement, showroom re-planning / re-furbishment, staff training and much more.

Business Recovery

Our partners have helped many businesses on the road to recovery - and there are many things we can do to take the pressure off and allow the business to flourish again. Time is always of the essence in recovery situations, so we will move fast to give you the best possible chance of success.

Financial Perspective

Our first objective is always to get a handle on the numbers. We provide 'forensic bookkeeping' services to unravel any issues and put the books in order at the outset, so we can plan the immediate and medium term to ensure a recovery can be made before the situation worsens.

Creditor Negotiation

Creditors can put enormous pressure on a business - sometimes unfairly. We will often negotiate with creditors as an objective third party - taking the pressure off the business owner. For many businesses, this can be the turning point in a recovery.

Forward Planning

A recovering business needs a business plan even more than a start-up - because bankers, creditors and even the owner will need to know that a profitable future is possible, and how to get there. We will help you put those plans in place and give you a straightforward plan for a return to profitablity.

Turnaround Finance / Insolvency / Restructuring

For some businesses an injection of finance or capital, or even an insolvency manouvre, is required. We work with people that provide all these services to ensure a speedy result.

Welcome to Small Business Support

  Are you too busy serving your customers to develop and improve your business?

  Do you wish you had a greater handle on your finances, margins and profit?

  Have you completely run out of time for marketing?

Small Business Support is a firm run by experienced and successful entrepreneurs who provide cost-effective hands-on assistance for small owner-managed businesses focused on the retail sector.

We will work alongside you to develop a complete understanding of your finances, plan your business and marketing, and increase your sales and profit, leaving you with a business that works, and the time to spend doing what you do best.

We are not business coaches, but offer:

  Financial administration & planning
  Marketing planning & support
  Retail consultancy

Everything we do is hands-on - we won't tell you what to do - we'll actually do it!

About Us

The Partners

Adele Horton and Neil Phillipson have worked together since 2005, between them owning and running businesses as diverse as an IT consultancy, bespoke joinery company and an astronomy retailer. Adele brings comprehensive experience in business & financial administration, human resources and marketing, plus skills in event and project management. Neil is a retail entrepreneur with experience in business finance and planning, marketing, and information technology. He is also a physicist, astronomer and an accomplished speaker.

Our Support

Small Business Support is more than just two people. We are supported by a range of trusted contacts who provide additional expertise in a wide range of areas, including:

Accountancy & bookkeeping
Business continuity planning
Business & executive coaching
Customer service analysis & mystery shopping
Graphic design, Web design & printing services
Insolvency advice & restructuring
Insurance and investment services
Marketing support
Personal image consultancy
Shop fitting & commercial refurbishment

We're always looking for people who can add value to our clients' businesses, so if you'd like to work with SBS, please contact us

Case Studies

Case Study 1

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Case Study 2