Budget 2021: Support available to boost your productivity

04 March 2021

The budget was full of continued support for businesses facing the challenges associated with COVID-19, but there’s some encouraging news to support SMEs.

The theme of the budget was clearly about re-energising the economy in what is hopefully a post-pandemic world. From stamp duty and Furlough extensions to the freezing of taxes, it seems that there are plenty of opportunities to help stimulate the recovery.

This is extended to the thousands of SMEs out there that have been hit particularly hard, with the announcement of the new ‘Help to Grow‘ campaign.

Help to Grow – what is it?

The Help to Grow campaign is a government initiative aimed to help take businesses to the next level; boosting profits and reaching new customers.

There are two sides to Help to Grow; an Executive Development programme to help improve your performance. And free online advice and support for businesses looking to adopt new software to help them save time and cut costs.

More specifically, eligible businesses will be able to get a discount of up to £5000 towards software that helps them to:

• Build customer relationships and increase sales
• Make the most of selling online
• Manage their accounts and finances digitally.

Who is eligible?

So far, the government have said that businesses that qualify for the software funding have to:

• Employ between 5 and 249 people and are registered at Companies House
• Have been trading for more than 12 months
• Are purchasing the software for the first time.

How do I get involved?

Whilst the full details are not yet released, the government have launched an online portal where you can register your interest in the Management and Digital Help to Grow schemes.

The Digital scheme is due to start this Autumn, but we’d recommend registering your details early to ensure you receive updates about the scheme.