Coming on the 19th of June, 2024, at The Shard in London (or online if you prefer!), is this year’s Enterprise Research Centre (ERC) State of Small Business Britain Conference. While this is the 9th time the event is running, it’s the first that Gripsure will be involved in, and we are excited for the opportunities this dynamic event presents!
We are delighted to be representing small businesses across the UK, giving talks and sharing our story for those seeking support on overcoming the challenges of the modern small business environment – showing how we’ve used various means of funding to help us grow and develop over the years.
Find out more about us and our services by getting in touch, or read on to discover more about our journey and the upcoming ERC event!
What’s our story?
Born from a rainy-day conversation in 2005 between founders Mike and Ross, Gripsure has grown from a local Cornish enterprise into a global brand providing quality non-slip decking to people, places, and projects all around the world. Our range of products has grown as well – still with the timber non-slip decking that’s at our heart, but with added options in the form of eco-friendly bamboo decking and even cladding!
This all wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated team, our loyal repeat customers, and our no-nonsense attitude to bringing customers – both new and old – unparalleled service throughout every interaction.
What Does It Mean to Participate in the ERC?
The ERC focuses on growing and supporting small businesses – a goal which runs in parallel with our own story. With such a vast collection of insights, research, dialogue, and perspectives on the situation and needs of small businesses in the UK, it offers a valuable resource for all those looking to realise new business opportunities.
Our participation means we can attend the event, share our thoughts and experiences, and hopefully inspire other small businesses to find a path that’ll help them refine and exceed at their craft.
How Finance Can Support SMEs
SMEs, or small to medium sized enterprises, refer to any organisation with less than 250 employees and a turnover below €50 million (£42.6 million). The UK government released an action plan in May 2023 for how they’d deal with SMEs, mostly relating to the understanding of available resources and interactions with the FCDO. While this action plan is helpful for SMEs, it doesn’t provide them with the financial advice or support they need to truly succeed.
SMEs can find it hard to secure finances, especially when they have a limited track record for sales and a limited amount of capital or tangible assets available at any given moment. However, to grow and build a reputation, finance is needed. As such, many SMEs find themselves in a spiral which is incredibly hard to break free of.
One of the pivotal moments in our personal history was a loan we received from Multify, which enabled us to complete an important project we had with a large distributor customer and pushed us to new heights as a business.
Some methods used by SMEs to finance their operations include:
- Independent investors or equity funds
- Increased trade credit with suppliers
- Loan finance with lenders
- Asset finance for investment in capital assets
- Crowdfunding
- Government grants
The slow and steady process of growing your customer base, expanding on your service offering, and growing your business from there is also a way for SMEs to expand – though it can take longer, and a lot more work, than many of the other finance options.
Effectively, finance is a way to boost your business and achieve its full potential now, rather than in the distant future. In our talk at the ERC, we’ll discuss why we needed our funding, hopefully inspiring others to achieve their vision of their business.
Get Involved with Gripsure and the ERC
For SMEs both old and new, the ERC presents an opportunity to learn, make new connections, and find out ways to finance and grow your business. We’ll be giving our own take on how finance can support your business, and hopefully you’ll find it helpful – we hope to see you there!
Find out more about the event by visiting the ERC website or checking out the event programme. Or, if you want to find out more about the quality decking that got us to where we are, you can visit our products page or contact our team directly!