Thrive

Let us help take your business to the next level.


Join Thrive for free business support and advice.

Starting and growing your own business can be both an incredibly rewarding, and also a challenging experience. We're here to help you with your business challenges, whether that be hiring your first staff member, getting to grips with social media, managing your finances or anything in between.

Whatever your current business challenge, it can really help to have someone experienced to guide you through, and that's where we come in. Our local advisers are uniquely equipped to support you and help take your business to the next level.

Over 20 years' experience has taught us how best to do this and as every business is unique we are able to tailor our support specifically for you.

The Thrive service has been fully-funded by the European Development Fund to allow us to offer you free business support through a range of one-to-one sessions with expert advisors.

One-to-one support

Our one-to-one support is tailored specifically to your individual needs. Our advisors have a wealth of knowledge and can discuss any aspect of your business. Whether you need to re-evaluate your marketing strategy, create a business plan, apply for grants or funding or discuss staffing, we can help you wherever you are in your business journey.

To access up to 12 hours of support from one of our experienced business advisors, simply register your interest here.

What our clients say

  • Helpful, knowledgeable, conscientious, prompt, professional, a really good service to have in the area. I’d be a bit stuck without them. Go straight to BIP. I have passed this advice on to many people over the years and indeed got a message this morning from someone who has taken that advice saying “Thankyou – they are amazing!"Jo Henderson - Barrel Top Wagons
  • Our overall experience with BIP has been amazing, we have been given all the help and advice we could possibly need, and their advisors always have time to sit down and listen to ideas you have and give their advice on them. From simple things such as registering a new business to advanced online marketing, BIP has helped us 100% all the way!Ben Bailey - Tally Ho Brewery
  • Knowing that there is someone who wants to help you at the end of the phone is a wonderful feeling. Added to that their ability to understand problems we are facing and using their knowledge network, point us in the direction where we can find suitable help or answers. This link between us and available support, training and advice is very very valuable to us.David Kittow - Kittow Cattle
  • The experience has provided good support and advice thus far and I hope to benefit from ongoing support in the future as the business develops. The personal advice from Chris has been spot on and I have benefitted from the various conversations we have had regards business experiences.John Preston - 2D Carpet Cleaning
  • I would give BIP 10 out of 10. I've had a lot of support, confidence building, all my questions have been answered fully with 100% support! Without BIP I would never have had the confidence to take the big step of starting up my own business. Thank you so much BIP!Bethany Neely - A Touch of Elegance
  • A very positive experience. I got the impression that the people I was working with really cared about my success.Anne Anderson - Accu-write
  • I have found the whole experience very helpful, and cannot praise enough the help, support and patience of my mentors.Neville Upton - Extreme Clean Car Valeting Service
  • In this day and age, with so much support for small businesses being cut, I felt very fortunate to be able to access tailored, face-to-face advice in a way that worked for us as a business. We needed answers to specific questions and this was what we received. This is no substitute for searching for ‘generic’ advice over the internet!Rachel Johnstone - Southgate Publishers
  • I have been impressed with the contacts made and the advice given. The business plan and financial forecast spreadsheets were particularly helpful in trying to foresee the future for my business. I would certainly suggest that other business owners contact BIP for this support.Felicity Chipp - Tranquillity
  • Amazing! They have been really helpful and generous with their time. The training courses they provide has been top notch. Go to BIP! They're quick and generous and have a great track record.Dan Metcalf - Word Nerd Games
  • I learned things about business which I had not known, it gave me the confidence that some of the things we were doing as a business were on track. Gave me the opportunity to stand back and receive some expert advice. My experience was a very positive one. Graham was very knowledgeable; even though my own business knowledge is scant at no point did he condescend. He had lots of good ideas and highlighted many issues I had not thought about. Following our meeting he sent me a very large number of documents, some of which will be useful in the short term, some in the long term. It demonstrated to me that he had really been fully engaged with the issues The Filo Project faces and will face in the future. Liz Dennis - The Filo Project
  • Thanks so much for taking the time to advise me on my new business venture, you were so helpful and gave me some brilliant ideas for maximising business.
    Mary Sutherland - Adventurous Souls Camper Hire


Eligibility

If you have attended any of our Thrive group workshops previously, or if you're new to the programme, you can access the one-to-one support. Thrive is available to newly trading and existing businesses only. Pre-starts are not eligible. 

The Thrive programme will close at the end of July, 2023. Places are limited so please register your interest quickly.

Please note:

*This support is available to businesses across Devon & Somerset (excluding North Somerset & BaNES). Businesses in Torridge or North Devon can access similar support through North Devon Plus.

Get Your Free Business Planner

As well as all the free support available under the programme, once you have completed your full 12 hours,  you will receive a free copy of our Small Business Planner!

Business Planner

We created this useful guide specifically for our clients, based on our experience helping thousands of small businesses over the years. Designed to help you organise your thoughts and ideas, as well as useful tips and templates for you to stay on top of your business, financial and marketing goals.

It includes the following:

  • Mission statement planner
  • Brainstorming ideas
  • Marketing plan strategy
  • Goal timelines
  • Weekly planner
  • Online statistics and marketing results to keep track of your marketing and online activities
  • Mission statement planner
  • Brainstorming ideas
  • Marketing plan strategy
  • Goal timelines
  • Weekly planner
  • Online statistics and marketing results to keep track of your marketing and online activities
  • Revenue tracker
  • Yearly expenses template
  • Business review checklist
  • Strategic objectives planner
  • Green business guide
  • Useful contacts.
    • Revenue tracker
    • Yearly expenses template
    • Business review checklist
    • Strategic objectives planner
    • Green business guide
    • Useful contacts.

    Agricultural support

    Helping you navigate the changes.

    With so much change going on in the agricultural industry, we can help you work out what’s right for your farm business. Sit down for free with one of our experienced agricultural advisors who can assess your business, make sense of the latest schemes such as SFI, and develop a plan to get you where you need to go.

    Whether that’s helping with funding applications, explaining the latest schemes and ensuring you are compliant, as well as advising on areas such as business planning, benchmarking, diversification and succession planning, we can guide you through.

    How to register

    To access tailored one-to-one support, please register your interest via the Heart of the South West Growth Hub here.
    Be quick! The programme closes at the end of July, 2023.

    Workshops

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    Using Canva for your Marketing

    11 July, 10am - 1pm
    Online - FREE

    Want to create stunning visual content for your social media feeds and promotional material? This workshop is for you! During this hands-on, interactive session, we’ll show you how to use Canva.

    LEARN MORE & REGISTER
    Thrive networking event

    Thrive Business Resilience Event & Networking (Exeter)

    20 July, 9am - 1pm
    Exeter Science Park - FREE

    Join this free event, with workshops on business resilience, business health checks, successful grant funding application tips, and networking. Hosted by Business Information Point and Heart of the South West Growth Hub.

    LEARN MORE & REGISTER

    How this support is funded

    The Heart of the South West Growth Hub Service for All is receiving up to £781,965 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for ERDF. Established by the European Union ERDF funds help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit this page. The accountable body for this programme is Devon County Council, working with contracted business support providers including North Devon + and the Cosmic BIP Consortium.

    ERDF Logo