Tag: digital boost

Wright Violins hit all the right notes

A business that specialises in matching players to the right musical instrument has increased sales by 400% after receiving support from DigitalBoost, Scotland’s national digital upskilling programme, delivered by Business Gateway.

Founded by Tim and Helen Wright, former professional musicians, in December 2015, Tim Wright Fine Violins is an independent violin dealership based in Edinburgh, selling violins, violas, cellos and their bows.

Helen approached Business Gateway for advice during the pandemic when she and Tim decided to adapt the business. Lockdown had presented challenges for customers who were unable to trial their instruments in person, a fundamental process when it came to purchasing their products.

Working closely with Business Gateway, Helen conducted a strategic review of the business and accessed specialist digital support through DigitalBoost. This helped her to develop their website into an online shop, enabling clients to ‘get to know’ the instruments before playing them for a trial period.

The business also accessed regular 1:1 support from a dedicated business adviser, as part of Business Gateway’s Growth Service, as well as advice on marketing practises.

This has resulted in significant growth for the business, and business enquiries have increased by 700%. They have also expanded their overall market reach to new clients across Scotland, beyond the Edinburgh market, with customers coming from the USA, Japan, Africa, and across Europe.

Tim Wright, Founder, Tim Wright Fine Violins said: “We were already thinking about ways to grow the business. When the pandemic hit, this became more important, so we approached Business Gateway for advice as about how we could find ways to raise the profile of our service and share our expertise and knowledge of our products virtually.

“Thanks to the support from our DigitalBoost consultant, our website has grown into a digital shop-front, which has not only seen us through the pandemic but also allowed us to grow and reach the global marketplace for fine string instruments.

“Working with Business Gateway has helped us to develop processes for making action plans and sticking to them. Our business was based around our love of violins as opposed to any more formal business planning, we needed support to learn how to make decisions for business growth. We had reached a point where success felt intimidating, we now feel as though we have a secure, manageable plan for our growth.”

Al Bryce, adviser, Business Gateway said: “Tim and Helen have a unique business and, with the support of Business Gateway specialists, they adapted their services to work for an online platform. In doing so, they reached a much wider market, achieving significant growth and success throughout the pandemic and beyond.

“Tim Wright Violins is a fantastic example the success that can be achieved by adapting your service and getting your business online. We would encourage all businesses to make use of the free DigitalBoost service if there are areas where support is needed.”  

BT and Digital Boost launch free mentoring programme for small businesses in Edinburgh

  • BT partners with Digital Boost to upskill small business owners and employees by bringing free mentoring sessions to at least 1,000 firms across the UK
  • New mentoring programme forms part of BT’s Small Business Support Scheme to assist small business during the pandemic and beyond by boosting their connectivity, cashflow and confidence
  • BT has equipped a further 20,000 small businesses with digital skills since the launch of the scheme, as part of its ongoing Skills for Tomorrow programme

BT has launched a new mentoring programme to support small businesses in Edinburgh during the pandemic, in partnership with Digital Boost, a free non-profit platform which unites digital experts with leaders of small businesses.

BT has pledged to deliver free one-to-one coaching sessions to at least 1,000 small businesses and is encouraging small firms across Scotland to register their interest. The initiative is part of its Small Business Support Scheme, which launched last Summer.

The mentoring initiative is open to all BT employees and has been successfully trialled with a number of small businesses prior to launch. BT has enlisted the expertise of its colleagues across the business – including Senior Executives – to upskill small business on a range of topics, including Cyber Security, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, and more. 

Digital Boost will connect individuals from small businesses with relevant BT experts via its free online platform, where small businesses are able to register their interest in booking a free virtual mentoring session. 

BT launched its Small Business Support scheme last Summer – a broad range of measures to help small businesses get better positioned for growth during and beyond the pandemic. The scheme aims to do this by boosting the connectivity, cashflow and confidence that many small businesses say they lack as a result of the ongoing public health crisis.

The new mentoring programme forms a key part of BT’s efforts to drive skills and optimism amongst small firms, with an earlier survey conducted by BT and Small Business Britain revealing that more than half (53 per cent) lack confidence in the future of their business.

63 per cent of small firms felt they needed more support in marketing and sales; 44 per cent wanted more assistance with digital skills; while 36 per cent lacked skills in building business resilience.

BT is responding to these concerns by opening up access to free, expert advice to 1,000 small firms initially, with a view to further expanding the reach of the programme over the coming months.

Alan Lees, BT director for corporate and public sector in Scotland, said: “Helping small businesses to acquire new skills and boost their confidence during these exceptionally challenging times is a central part of BT’s Small Business Support Scheme.

“We’ve already equipped a further 20,000 small businesses with digital skills since the launch of the scheme and now we’re going even further by introducing a free mentoring programme. By partnering with Digital Boost we can engage our own colleagues around the need to step up and support small businesses, with experts around the businesses volunteering their time as BT mentors.

“Our ambition is to scale this very quickly, involving colleagues from all levels, including the senior leadership team. I would encourage any small businesses in Scotland who feel they would benefit from this direct support to book a spot as soon as possible via the website.”

Sherry Coutu, Founder at Digital Boost, said: “At Digital Boost, we help those who work for and lead small businesses and charities to survive the COVID-19 crisis and be more competitive in the long-run.

“BT is a key partner in our effort to help prepare the UK to build back better after the pandemic.”

Brett O’Brien, Internal Engagement Manager at BT, who has been involved in the pilot of the mentoring scheme, providing his support in sales to a small business, said: “I volunteered to be a Digital Boost mentor as I felt it was my duty to support the small businesses that are trying to weather the storm of COVID-19.

“I have lots of friends and family working in small businesses that are no longer in work so I felt personally motivated to support the small businesses that are fighting for survival.

“My expertise are in sales/partnerships and I have conducted two mentor sessions. The feedback from them was great and I feel a great sense of pride knowing that I’m making a direct impact to help these SMEs stay in business.”

BT has already helped tens of thousands of small businesses acquire new digital skills through its Skills for Tomorrow programme which aims to reach 1 million small business owners and their employees by 2025.  In recent months, BT has launched new learning content on crucial topics – such as how to protect yourself from cyber-attacks and using social media to reach new customers. In the last year alone, BT has delivered over 190 free learning webinars for small businesses.

Small businesses interested in mentoring support can book a free one-to-one coaching session now by visiting: https://www.digitalboost.org.uk/

BT is also acutely aware that it’s an extremely worrying and uncertain time for small businesses and is also providing access to expertise to small business leaders around maintaining wellbeing by boosting their mental and physical health.

A free online Wellbeing Toolkit is already available and a webinar series specifically designed for small businesses will launch next month.

DigitalBoost launches £10 million grant scheme to help Scottish businesses rebuild with digital

Businesses across Scotland are set to benefit from vital support, following the launch of a new £10 million DigitalBoost Development Grant by Business Gateway and The Scottish Government.  

The fund, which is available through DigitalBoost, Business Gateway’s national digital training programme for businesses, is funded by The Scottish Government and will help businesses upskill and invest in their digital capabilities as they work to overcome the challenges they face now and build for Scotland’s economic recovery. VAT registered businesses will be able to access up to £25,000 while non-VAT registered business can benefit from up to £5,000 of funding.  

This launch follows a successful pilot grant scheme in the Autumn 2020 for DigitalBoost 1:1 clients. 

The fund is now open and accepting applications.  

Launching the scheme, Cabinet Secretary for Finance Kate Forbes said: “The firms that have coped best during the pandemic are invariably those that have been able to adapt with the help of digital tools. 

“This funding will provide an immediate boost and will support businesses to adopt digital technologies to improve productivity, increase resilience and drive growth. It will also help to improve their digital capability and the skills of their workforce so they can keep pace with future technological progress. 

“Supporting SMEs on their digital journey is key to Scotland’s economic recovery, our future prosperity and our net-zero ambitions and I encourage business owners to take up this valuable opportunity.” 

Business Gateway is delivered by local authorities throughout Scotland and works in collaboration with a wide variety of organisations to help deliver the best advice and support to Scottish businesses.  

Welcoming the scheme, COSLA spokesperson Cllr Steven Heddle said: “The last ten months have shown how critical strong and robust online platforms are for businesses, if they are to successfully adapt to the challenges posed by the pandemic.  

“Given the ongoing nature of the crisis, this scheme will be a critical lifeline for those businesses that want to digitally upskill and invest in their platforms so that they can survive, increase their resilience to current and future challenges, and find new opportunities and markets to grow. 

“Alongside this grant fund, the DigitalBoost programme will continue to provide other free support to businesses, helping them take advantage of technology so that they can adapt and thrive.”  

Liz McCutcheon, CEO, Lanarkshire Enterprise Services (LESL), said: “LESL are delighted to be administering the DigitalBoost Development Grant, on behalf of the Scottish Government and Business Gateway’s DigitalBoost Programme.

“LESL has long been an advocate of digital adoption and are committed to supporting SMEs across Scotland leverage the grant to allow them to transform their businesses digitally.”  

DigitalBoost provides webinars, a free healthcheck, 1:1 support from a digital expert, online tutorials, and practical guides on topics including social media, cyber resilience, data analytics, digital marketing strategy and e-commerce.  

For more information on the DigitalBoost Development Grant, please visit https://www.digitalboostdevelopmentgrant.co.uk/