The SWIFT project was funded by the Government Equalities Office and run in partnership with ESCC and local charity Sound Architect. The funding was secured by the e-Sussex Broadband Team to promote skills development linked to the East Sussex County Council broadband infrastructure development project. The aim was to support entrepreneurial women, who are an under-represented group in East Sussex, to bring their business ideas to fruition, contributing strongly to economic growth in East Sussex.
The Swift project facilitated self-employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for women by taking advantage of faster and more reliable Broadband to enhance their digital and business skills. The programme consisted of modular and flexible training sessions which focused on delivering IT and business/personal training. Follow this link to our free resources.
Alongside the training, participants were able to attend regular peer to peer groups to share knowledge and experience with the support of a business mentor. Personal development was a key part of the programme with participants learning to continually plan, act, review and evaluate as their chosen pathways develop, skills which can be used in all aspects of their professional and personal lives.
As well as accessing our Swift resources, the County’s Growth Hub is a valuable source of help and support available to all:
‘The Business East Sussex Growth Hub is a free, independent, and publicly funded business support service for businesses across East Sussex.
We are the first step for any business seeking support, and we can help you find the support and solutions your business needs to thrive.
Whether you are starting up, looking to grow, or are seeking to overcome challenges to your business, we can help. Our team of business experts are dedicated to helping you find the right support, helping your business grow and helping to make East Sussex a great place to run a business.
https://southeastbusiness.org.uk/east-sussex/ ‘
Contact: info@businesseastsussex.org.uk or call 01273 335878
Resources
Articles
- Having it all (176 KB).
Basic steps to setting up a business
Branding
- Graphic design worksheet (201 KB).
Business basics
- 10 critical factors (1.3 MB).
- Business basics handout (470 KB).
- Business basics workbook (502 KB).
- CRM software 1 (17 KB).
- CRM software 2 (119 KB).
- Legal entity (158 KB).
- Online tax form (107 KB).
- Resource directory and quotations (63 KB).
Customer care
- 8 rules for good customer service (32 KB).
- Being customer focussed (149 KB).
- Customer touch points (12 KB).
- Customers rights (167 KB).
- Data Protection factsheet (53 KB).
- Importance of customer service (181 KB).
- Informing your customers (148 KB).
- Meeting customer requirements (171 KB).
- Priciples of customer management (17 KB).
- Quick quiz (13 KB).
- Swift customer care (1.9 MB).
- The three pillars of customer satisfaction (15 KB).
- Your customer's requirements (143 KB).
Employment law
- Employment law handout (3.4 MB).
Excel
- Excel 101 (48 KB).
- Excel examples (32 KB).
- Introduction to Excel (488 KB).
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
- Facebook and LinkedIn (290 KB).
- Facebook facts (4.0 MB).
- LinkedIn for business (1.8 MB).
- Welcome to Twitter (4.4 MB).
Forming ideas and scoping business vision
- Dame Anita Roddick (16 KB).
- Forming the idea (221 KB).
- PEST analysis template (32 KB).
- Resources directory (232 KB).
- USP (14 KB).
- Vision and mission (17 KB).
General resources
- Business finance guides (2.5 MB).
- Business grants (183 KB).
- Home business guide (800 KB).
- The rise of the home business (87 KB).
Gentle introduction to finance
- Finance basics (148 KB).
Graphic design
- Graphic design worksheet 1 (135 KB).
- Graphic design worksheet 2 (88 KB).
Handling difficult situtations
- Communication social styles descriptors (36 KB).
- Communication social styles questionnaire (38 KB).
- Communications skills audit (48 KB).
- Handling difficult situations (293 KB).
- NLP Presuppositions (23 KB).
How to use PowerPoint
- PowerPoint handout (37 KB).
- Using PowerPoint (1.1 MB).
How to write a business plan
- BW Exercise 1- SMART objectives (236 KB).
- BW Exercise 2- business plan checklist (221 KB).
- BW Exercise 3- business vision (201 KB).
- EE business plan template (300 KB).
Internet security
- Internet security handout (40 KB).
IT for beginners
- IT for beginners (6.1 MB).
Legal requirements when starting a business
- A guide to the organisations you must contact when starting up (42 KB).
- Legal status (38 KB).
Managing the money
- Introduction to finance (326 KB).
- Startup loan (61 KB).
- Workbook part 1 (2.7 MB).
- Workbook part 2 (3.1 MB).
- Working with costs and budgets (1021 KB).
Marketing
- Breakeven fact sheet (18 KB).
- Developing a marketing plan (39 KB).
- Market information (46 KB).
- Market research (513 KB).
- Marketing - workbook and handout (270 KB).
- Profiling your target market (32 KB).
Negotiation skills
- Case study (202 KB).
- Negotiation skills - delegates workbook (616 KB).
- Negotiation skills (132 KB).
- Top 10 negotiation tips (289 KB).
- Women in leadership (14 KB).
One page business plan
- Abbreviated business plan template (42 KB).
- Business plan template 1 (796 KB).
- Business tree (103 KB).
- Creating vision (143 KB).
- PEST analysis template (63 KB).
- SWOT analysis template (114 KB).
- The business plan (253 KB).
- Tips for writing a business plan (161 KB).
Pitching and presenting
- MW Elevator Pitch (227 KB).
Presentation skills
- Body language exercise (28 KB).
- Fixed v growth mindset (54 KB).
- Presenting (971 KB).
Pricing
- Pricing workbook (447 KB).
- Quotes (13 KB).
Proven techniques for improving sales
- How to forecast sales (406 KB).
- Laws of sales success (16 KB).
- Sales techniques - delegates workbook (631 KB).
- Top 10 tips for effective selling (14 KB).
Selling on Ebay
- Selling on Ebay - a rough guide (269 KB).
Skype
- Using Skype (1.6 MB).
Social Enterprise/Charity information
- Social enterprise explained (665 KB).
- Start your social enterprise (3.7 MB).
The power of saying "no"
- Assertiveness - passive aggressive styles (401 KB).
- Basic rights (37 KB).
- How assertive are you (13 KB).
- Power of saying no (822 KB).
Time Management
- Time management (316 KB).
Understanding essential finance
- Cashflow forecast (32 KB).
Website design
- 1 - Why is a website important for my business (95 KB).
- 2 - Research, checking the competition (85 KB).
- 3 - Domain Names (109 KB).
- 4 - Planning your website's structure and navigation (92 KB).
Wordpress jargon buster
- Wordpress jargon buster (196 KB).