A free scheme which has already supported hundreds of new businesses has been extended until 2023.
The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce has run the Business Start Up Programme since 2019, supporting more than 400 new businesses through workshops, masterclasses and one-to-one mentoring from experienced business coaches.
The scheme is part of the CW Business: Start, Grow and Scale Programme which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and the five Warwickshire district and borough councils.
Now funding for the scheme has been extended to 2023 meaning even more businesses from across the region can access free support.
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Hardeep Sandhu, enterprise manager at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: "The Business Start-Up Programme can provide vital help, support and guidance in those difficult first few months and the news that the funding has been extended until 2023 means we can support even more people make that transition to running their own business.
"We know first-hand how challenging starting a business can be and are delighted to know that our experienced team have been able to contribute to so many success stories, whether that’s providing a sounding board for ideas, answering practical or technical questions, or up-skilling knowledge."
Programme participant Ramy Sabri - who took over The Village Cafe in Bulkington in May - is drawing up expansion plans as a result of the support he has already received.
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The 32-year-old bought the well-known cafe after an 18-year career in hospitality, during which time he ran restaurants at a number of top hotels in the 海角视频 and mainland Europe, including one that held a Michelin star.
Under his ownership The Village Cafe - which has five staff, including his wife and brother-in-law - is serving almost 500 customers a week in the cafe and through deliveries.
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Ramy said: "My business advisor from the chamber, Rita Booth, has given me some valuable insights into marketing and how to make incremental decisions to help grow the business, and has encouraged me to experiment which I'm doing with extra opening hours.
"My long-term plan is to grow this into a chain of cafe and coffee shops, and I'm already looking at a second location. I'm also working with someone to build a website that will mean we can start to manage our own online orders and deliveries, which is a growing part of the business."
Mirani De Silva set up tea subscription business Paradise Tea, from her home in Tile Hill, Coventry, after spotting a gap in the market for Sri Lankan Pure Ceylon tea.
The 49-year-old began importing shipments from her hometown of Colombo at the end of last year with the help of Business Start-Up Programme, and signed up her first customer in July.
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Mirani said: "The help I have been given by the chamber has been enormous. My advisor, Sarah Humphreys, has helped me with promoting Paradise Tea on social platforms, guided me through each step and has always been there to give advice when I needed it.
"Without her support and guidance, I do not think I would be here now."
For more information about the Business Start Up Programme visit the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce website or call 024 7665 4321.