A new Weston-Super-Mare based company, 'Spirit Business Training' has been launched this week, providing class based business skills courses and consultancy for small-to-medium-size enterprise (SME) and businesses across the South West of England

A new Weston-Super-Mare based company, ‘Spirit Business Training’ has been launched this week, providing class based business skills courses and consultancy for small-to-medium-size enterprise (SME) and businesses across the South West of England. The one day courses will cover essential business skills such as starting a new business, accounting, PR, marketing, sales, purchasing and operations. These are ideally suited for small business owners and their employees, the self-employed, mumpreneurs and those looking to start up a new venture, including the recently or long-term unemployed.

The launch coincides with this months’ announcement that the Government is to strengthen its plans to push the growth of small business across the UK with a big expansion in the scope of its planned New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) helping to create up to 40,000 new businesses by 2013*. The report behind this acknowledges that most people do not have the business skills to start-up and grow a successful and profitable business.

Wendy Thorne, Founder of Sprit Business Training commented: “Most new businesses are built on a skill, passion or interest, but to achieve financial success, it’s important for entrepreneurs to also recognise their weaknesses and either build on these skills or bring new people into the business, perhaps as equity stakeholders if paying them a salary is not an option. However, essential skills such as understanding the difference between cost and price, how to put together a marketing mix and promotional mix and tackling tax returns can be easily and quickly learned and really help to bring overhead costs down.”

Spirit Business Training has a range of organised business skills one day courses. These are complimented by training skills gap analysis, brainstorming and bespoke action planning services. For a taste of what’s on offer, Wendy Thorne will be giving a free seminar on Wednesday 2nd February 2011 at The North Somerset Business Show, Puxton Park, Weston-super-Mare titled; “Decisions, Decisions, Decisions”. The seminar will provide an insight into the type of decisions business owners must make each day, with helpful tips on how to make informed and value-for-money decisions.

Wendy continued: “Statistics show that nationally, 50% of new businesses fail in the first year and a staggering 95% fail within five years, so gaining such essential business skills will ensure that you and your business are not just another statistic. This is particularly pertinent for anyone who may be thinking about using a redundancy settlement in order to start a new venture.”

“Locally, in the South West, over 75% of businesses are classified as a small business, yet all too frequently I hear how these business owners are spending large sums of money advertising their businesses and not seeing the return on their investment. I believe that this is because when making the decision to advertise, consideration has not been given to ‘value for money’ and measuring success and many people don’t realise that advertising is just one expensive part of the overall marketing mix. So this is where Sprit Business Training can help.”

To celebrate the launch, bucks fizz and cakes will be available to all visitors to our stand at The North Somerset Business Show.