Local Factsheet - Slough

If you are looking to grow your business Berkshire Growth Hub can offer support.

Early-stage businesses can receive support via email and be signposted to sources of business support, and online resources available through the Growth Hub website. These include a provider marketplace, directory, and events listings.

For those with ambitious growth plans or the potential to scale quickly, a range of tailored support services and intensive 1:1 coaching from a Business Adviser is available. This support can assist your business to develop strategies and plans for growth, connecting you with a range of local and national schemes and programmes.

Eligibility: Available for businesses of all stages, including those not yet trading.

Website: https://www.berkshiregrowthhub.co.uk

Tel: 0118 209 0000

E-mail: info@berkshiregrowthhub.co.uk 

Slough Borough Council offers a range of information on business rates, premises, licensing, procurement, networking opportunities, and planning.  They also offer a trading standards service for businesses.

Eligibility: Available for all stages of business including businesses not yet trading.

Website: https://www.slough.gov.uk/business-licensing

Tel: 01753 475111 - general enquiries

Tel: 01753 476611 - Community learning and skills

Tel: 01753 772220 - business rates

Tel: 01753 875664 - licensing

Berkshire Growth Hub is running a programme of workshops and coaching sessions designed to give you the skills and knowledge you need to launch your business successfully.  Participants can access a combination of online and in-person workshops and coaching sessions to help you develop skills and knowledge to build your business successfully.  Topics covered include deciding your business model, how to write cashflow forecasts and find finance, sales and marketing planning, and making your new business sustainable.  To express your interest, complete the online form and the team will be in touch. 

Eligibility: Businesses that have started trading or plan to start very soon.  Turnover (if any) has to be less than £10,000.

Website: https://berkshiregrowthhub.co.uk/start-up-programme/

Are you thinking about starting a new business or becoming self-employed?

Free, fully funded, short courses offered online, providing an introduction to the key considerations of starting a business or becoming self-employed.  Learners will gain two enterprise qualifications, and receive ongoing support for three months afterwards.  To register your interest, complete the online form.

Following completion of the course, participants have the option to join further free programmes focussed on digital promotion and digital skills in the business, covering areas including using digital technologies and software for word processing, presentations and spreadsheets and digital skills career progression.

They also provide access to a fully funded, self-paced online Functional Skills course to help people build on their abilities in English and Maths, equivalent to a GCSE qualification.

For ex-offenders who have left the prison service, Through the Gate Support, provides learners with the opportunity to gain a recognised business qualification.  Through a series of engaging sessions, the course covers all the basics of starting up, and supports learners to work with other specialist ex-offender agencies as part of their resettlement journey.  To make an enquiry contact the team by emailing referrals@kickoffinbusiness.co.uk. 

Eligibility: Available for people over the age of 19, not started trading or within the first 12 months of trading.

Website: https://www.kickoffinbusiness.co.uk

General contact form: https://www.kickoffinbusiness.co.uk/contact

This scheme is part of a pilot project, that brings together OxLEP Business, the Berkshire Growth Hub, Buckinghamshire Business First and Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum to look at how by working together can support local businesses. The scheme is open to all businesses and will provide  information and advice via occasional SMS messages. The aim is to support businesses to be more resilient for emergencies and also for changes in the climate, by them to plan, prepare, be ready and adapt, so that any risk and impact on businesses is minimised.

Eligibility: Available to all businesses in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.

Oxfordshire: https://oxlepbusiness.co.uk/business-resilience-and-continuity/

Buckinghamshire: https://bbf.uk.com/news/new-business-resilience-programme-is-a-boost-to-buckinghamshire-organisations

Berkshire: https://berkshiregrowthhub.co.uk/code-red/

Do you have questions about market research and intellectual property?

The BIPC offers guides, highlights useful databases, publications and websites (all of which may be available from local libraries or via the British Library). The guides include resources for the following industries: Advertising; Alcoholic drinks; Books and Publishing; Childrenswear; Confectionery; Construction; Energy; Fashion; Fast Food and Snacks; Footwear; Frozen, chilled and ready-made foods; Furniture; Giftware; Global business; Green and Ethical business and Social Enterprise; Health and Fitness; Horticulture; Insurance; Jewellery; Music; Organic food; Over-the-counter and Complementary Medicine; Packaging; Recruitment and Training; Sports; Telecommunications; Toiletries and Cosmetics; Toys and Games; Travel and Tourism; and TV and Film.

Eligibility: Available to all stages of business, including businesses not yet trading.

Website: https://www.bl.uk/bipc/

Tel: 020 7412 7901

E-mail: bipc@bl.uk

Online contact form: https://bl.libanswers.com/form.php?queue_id=2495

SETsquared is a business incubator that provides a range of services to help turn innovative ideas into thriving businesses. The services and programmes available includes: coaching and mentoring, access to professional service firms and services, networks, investor readiness training to raise finance, commercialisation of research, news, insight and events.

Eligibility: Available for all stages of business including businesses not yet trading within the innovation and technology sector.

Website: http://www.setsquared.co.uk/

Online contact form: http://www.setsquared.co.uk/contact-us

A police-led and not-for-profit organisation providing support to help protect businesses from cybercrime. You will gain access to a range of different tools and resources providing you with practical steps to protect your business. Different membership levels are available, including a free membership package. A range of cyber resilience services are also available – more information can be found on the website. 

Eligibility: Available to all stages of business. 

Website: https://www.secrc.co.uk/

Berkshire Growth Hub are offering a programme to give businesses with high growth potential, up to 12 hours of intensive business support.  You will have an initial meeting with a dedicated Growth Hub Business Adviser followed by tailored 1-2-1 sessions and choice of Masterclasses covering the key business topics of Sales & Marketing; Digital marketing; Leadership and People; and Finance and Funding for Growth.  To express your interest, complete the online form, or email the team and they will be in touch.

Eligibility: Businesses who have been trading for more than a year, with clear growth plans of 10-20% over the next three years.

Website: https://berkshiregrowthhub.co.uk/high-growth-programme/

E-mail: info@berkshiregrowthhub.co.uk

A programme for manufacturing companies in the South East of England. Made Smarter is designed to help accelerate growth, boost productivity and increase competitive edge through new digital technologies.
This includes support from Technical Experts to help businesses switch to advanced and automated technologies, up to 50% match-funding, specialist advice, leadership training and student placements.  

To find out more and make an enquiry, visit the website.

Eligibility: Manufacturing businesses trading longer than two years, with a turnover above £100,000.

Closing date: March 2026

Website: https://www.madesmarter.uk/adoption/in-my-region/south-east/

Innovate UK Business Growth (was Innovate UK EDGE) is a key part of the UK innovation agency’s investment in the innovative businesses that drive economic growth. It provides intensive, specialist-led support to ambitious innovation-led businesses to help them grow and scale.

Each high-potential, innovative business is supported by a dedicated innovation & growth specialist local to them. The specialist will consider a business in the round and, working closely with its leadership, identify the most productive ways to accelerate its growth. This could be by working on the core business plan and value proposition or through exploiting innovation, accessing funding and finance, and/or expanding into new markets.

In particular, the specialists can help companies to develop an innovation-driven business plan; understand how to protect and create value from their intellectual property; develop a strategy to fund and finance their innovation, growth and be investment ready; connect to new partners for commercial, technology and R&D collaborations; and discover opportunities in overseas markets learning how to capitalise on them.

Innovate UK Business Growth  also offer the Scaleup Programme for enhanced support, the Global Incubator Programme and the Global Business Innovation Programme.

Eligibility: Available for businesses that have begun trading (innovative businesses, looking to grow and scale their business in the UK market and internationally) with up to 500 employees (250 in Northern Ireland). It is not suitable for pre-starts, or for those businesses who have no ambition to grow through innovation or internationalisation.

Website: https://iuk.ktn-uk.org/business-growth/

Online Contact Form: https://iuk.ktn-uk.org/business-growth-contact/ 

Tel: 0300 123 3066  (National Gateway)

Do you need legal advice? Lawyers for your business is a scheme offering a free half-hour consultation with a member of the Law Society.

The lawyer will not be able to deal with existing legal issues but can help with general legal enquiries about starting a business, employing people, contracts with customers and suppliers, taking on leased premises, business structures, health and safety and raising finance. When contacting a solicitor for a 30-minute free consultation you must advise you are calling regarding the Lawyers for your business scheme and use the named contact on the sheet sent to you from the service.

Eligibility: Available for businesses trading up to 12 months including businesses not yet trading.

Website: https://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/

Tel: 020 7320 5650 - If you need help with using the find a solicitor section, Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm

E-mail: lfyb@lawsociety.org.uk - please include postcode or town/city in the e-mail.

For solicitors interested in joining the LFYB scheme
https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/career-advice/individual-accreditations/lawyers-for-your-business

Are you looking to explore your loan & equity options?

FSE offers a range of loans and equity finance for innovative growth companies. You need to be able to demonstrate the potential for significant growth and investment-ready to apply. You can find more information on the funds available via the website.

Eligibility: Available to businesses that have begun trading.

Website: https://www.thefsegroup.com/

Tel: 01276 608 510

E-mail: fundingenquiries@thefsegroup.com

Offers business finance to businesses who might struggle to gain access to finance through mainstream lenders. Accredited business support partners of British Business Bank offering Start Up Loans, Recovery Loans and Growth Loans to businesses in the South East and East of England.

Business growth loans range from £20,000 - £150,000 and are available to businesses who have been trading for at least 24 months who are looking to grow. Some earlier stage businesses can be considered.

Website: https://www.letsdobusinessfinance.co.uk/business-loans

Tel: 0844 415 2272

E-mail: info@ldbgroup.co.uk

Loan finance between £50,000 and £500,000 for businesses with the potential for high growth looking to create additional employment opportunities. Arrangement and monitoring fees apply.

Eligibility: Excludes: land and property development, dealing and investment, financial services, accountancy, and legal services, hotels, nursing, and residential care homes, international motor transport, agriculture, forestry, and timber production and horticulture.

Website: https://www.thefsegroup.com/fund/thames-valley-berkshire-funding-escalator/

Enquiry form: https://www.thefsegroup.com/enquire

SE Shared Service e-Sourcing portal
The portal is a collaboration between public sector authorities in the South East region to provide a simple, secure and efficient way for managing sourcing and quotation activities, reducing time and cost for buyers and suppliers.
Website: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/sesharedservices/aspx/Home

Slough Council
Provides information on how to do business with the council and a suite of documents to help businesses when tendering for contracts.
https://www.slough.gov.uk/tenders-procurement 

Berkshire Growth Hub
Countywide events programme hosted or supported by the growth hub.
https://berkshiregrowthhub.co.uk/business-events/

Slough Business Community Partnership
Promotes best practice and help businesses with corporate responsibilities.
http://www.sbcp.co.uk

Federation of Small Businesses (FSB)
Events calendar for UK based businesses.
https://www.fsb.org.uk/event-calendar.html

Slough Borough Council
Offers a list of available commercial property.
https://www.slough.gov.uk/land-property