News Archives - Cool Ventures

JOB DESCRIPTION – BUSINESS SUPPORT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OFFICER

Megan — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:43:40 +0000

JOB TITLE:		Business Support & Community Engagement Officer – Fixed Term
LOCATION:		Community-based (Chipping Sodbury Office)	HOURS OF WORK		22.5 hours pw
REPORTING TO:		Managing Director	DIRECT REPORTS		NONE
JOB PURPOSE
The Business Support and Community Engagement Officer plays a key role in delivering inclusive outreach and high-quality business support across South Gloucestershire. The role combines proactive community engagement in priority neighbourhoods with the delivery of practical, tailored business support to individuals and businesses across the wider South Gloucestershire area. Through hands-on guidance, the role supports individuals to explore self-employment and helps existing businesses to strengthen, grow and become more resilient. The role requires the ability to work with individuals at different stages of their journey, including those who may be exploring self-employment for the first time or from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. This includes building confidence, breaking down complex topics, and providing patient, practical support tailored to individual needs. Alongside this, the role includes supporting businesses to better understand and use their financial information in a simple and practical way to make informed decisions. The role also contributes to our wider impact goals by supporting contract delivery, promoting equity, encouraging environmentally responsible practices, and engaging in social value activities.
ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES
OUTREACH SERVICE Develop, coordinate and oversee an Outreach Business Support Service across priority neighbourhoods of South Gloucestershire (including Kingswood, Staple Hill, Patchway and Oldland Common), whilst supporting businesses across the wider South Gloucestershire area. This includes: – Deliver 1:1 triage and tailored support for individuals exploring self-employment and businesses seeking to grow, adapting your approach to meet a range of needs and confidence levels. – Plan and deliver community-based workshops and engagement activities to support learning and participation. – Build strong relationships with local partners, community groups and stakeholders to increase reach and engagement, particularly among underrepresented communities. – Identify and engage individuals who may face barriers to employment or self-employment, providing additional support, encouragement and appropriate referrals to specialist services where needed. BUSINESS SUPPORT DELIVERY – Provide tailored business support, helping clients identify priorities, explore options and agree clear next steps – Act as a key point of contact within the team on finance-related business support, sharing knowledge where appropriate. Identify when specialist support is needed and coordinate with associates to ensure a high-quality and well-managed client experience CONTRACT SUPPORT – Contribute to achieving contracted outputs and targets (including business starts, job creation and engagement targets) – Capture and record client outcomes, progress and impact accurately – Provide timely and up-to-date information on outputs, outcomes and trends for monthly and quarterly reporting – Support continuous improvement by identifying trends, gaps and opportunities within delivery OTHER – Support delivery of the wider South Gloucestershire and B&NES Business Support Services – Work collaboratively with the Outreach Adviser – B&NES to share and develop best practice – Undertake other duties as requested by the Managing Director PURPOSFUL RESPONSIBILITIES As part of our commitment to social and environmental impact, team members are expected to: – Promote equity and inclusion – Help maintain an inclusive and respectful environment, ensuring our services are accessible and welcoming to all – Support environmental sustainability – Use resources mindfully and contribute to reducing environmental impact in day-to-day work – Give back to the community – Commit to 1 paid day per year to support social value activities such as volunteering – Stay current and purposeful – Maintain up-to-date knowledge and skills to ensure the support we offer remains relevant, practical and high quality
PERSON SPECIFICATION
	ESSENTIAL			DESIRABLE
QUALIFICATIONS & TRAINING	Qualified by experience, Ability to travel independently across South Gloucestershire to deliver support in community settings and business locations Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle (due to the nature of the role and locations of delivery)			SFEDI accreditation Business qualification or relevant training
EXPERIENCE	Minimum 2–3 years’ experience of working with small business owners Experience of supporting businesses to understand key financial concepts (e.g. cashflow, pricing, profitability) in a practical and accessible way Experience of delivering 1:1 business support or advisory support Confident presenting to groups and facilitating discussions Experience of working in or running a small business			Private sector experience & strong understanding of commercial environments Experience of delivering workshops or training sessions Experience of community engagement or outreach activity Experience of working with individuals from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds
QUALITIES & ATTITUDE	Passionate about supporting individuals and small businesses, with a patient and empathetic approach to working with people from a range of backgrounds and confidence levels Able to adapt communication style to suit different audiences, including those at an early or exploratory stage Self-motivated, proactive and able to manage a varied workload in a fast-paced environment Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and work effectively both independently and as part of a team
TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE	Strong understanding of the challenges faced by small businesses. Ability to support businesses in understanding and using financial information in a practical and accessible way. Confident in delivering business support across core areas, with strong practical knowledge of business finance. Proficient in Microsoft Office, CRM systems and online delivery tools. Understanding of data protection responsibilities			Broader understanding of start-up and early-stage business needs
OUR VALUES	Client Focused Thriving Together Championing Innovation & Inspiring Change Integrity & Respect Supporting Local Communities Caring for Our Environment

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Free Creative Business School Launches in Bath

Megan — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 12:05:20 +0000

If you’ve got a creative spark and you’re eager to see it grow into something bigger, you’re in the right place!

Cool Ventures are excited to partner with Emerge Studios to bring to life something truly special: the Creative Business School. This new programme is available for Bath & North East Somerset and surrounding areas creative entrepreneurs.

Our mission is clear – to provide folk like you – Creative Practitioners, Freelancers, and Creative Entrepreneurs – with the inclusive support needed to kickstart your business dreams.

About the Creative Business School

We understand that venturing into something new can be daunting, especially when you’re forging your own path.

But fear not – we’re here for you every step of the way.

Our 12-week part-time programme is crafted with your busy lifestyle in mind. It will allow you to juggle your personal and professional commitments while immersing yourself in the thrilling world of entrepreneurship.

Picture it as a journey where we’ll dive deep into everything from your mindset and professional journey to your creative identity and values.

We’ll even break out the creative enterprise canvas to help you chart your ideas in a way that resonates with you.

What’s on offer

We’ve curated a mix of workshops and co-working sessions to provide you with hands-on experience and plenty of support from your fellow creatives.
In addition to the core sessions, you will have access to workshops to enhance your IT, numeracy, and bookkeeping skills, ensuring you have the necessary tools to succeed.

An opportunity to pitch for a share of £1,000 Creative Business School Funding.

The schedule of the programme:

9th May 2024: Crafting Your Vision
23rd May 2024: Doing Your Market Research
6th June 2024: Understanding Money and Budget
20th June 2024: Using the Creative Business Canvas
4th July 2024: Pitching Prep and Confidence Building
18th July 2024: Pitch Sharing and a Chance to be awarded a share of £1,000 funding award.

To take advantage of this amazing new programme you will need to be able to commit to attending all the sessions.

All the sessions will take place at the Emerge Studios, nestled within Bath Spa University’s Sion Hill Campus.

Location: Emerge Studios, Bath Spa University, Sion Hill Campus, Bath, BA1 5SF

Come join us, and together, let’s turn your creative idea into the business of your dreams! Secure your spot on Eventbrite.

Book your place

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Help to start a business for Hong Kong British Nationals

Megan — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 06:00:37 +0000

Cool Ventures has launched a new, fully funded specialist business support programme for Hong Kong British Nationals based in South Gloucestershire, to help them start and run a business in the UK.

This programme will start with two engagement events which will provide an introduction to setting up a business in the UK. Both sessions will be translated into Cantonese. The events will also present a great opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs and find out about further support.

Starting a Business in the UK Emersons Green – 20th April 10 am – 12 pm (Emersons Green Village Hall, BS16 7AP). Find out more and book a place.
Starting a Business in the UK Stoke Gifford – 27th April 10 am – 12 pm (St Michaels Centre, BS34 8PD). Find out more and book a place.

Participants in this programme will also be able to attend a series of in-person workshops to help them plan, market and run their new businesses. Some of our experts will be available for more in-depth advice on key business topics.

Upcoming workshops:

12th May – Business Structure and Legal Requirements – St Michaels Centre
17th May – Business Structure and Legal Requirements – Emersons Green Village Hall
22nd June – ‘Ask the Expert’ Drop-in Clinic – Emersons Green Village Hall
26th June – ‘Ask the Expert’ Drop-in Clinic – St Michaels Centre

If you are a HKBN (O) visa holder based in South Gloucestershire and are interested in setting up a business in the UK or becoming self-employed, get in touch with us.

The programme is funded by the Hong Kong British National Overseas Hub (https://swcouncils.gov.uk/hong-kong-british-nationals-overseas-welcome-hub). It will finish end of June 2023.

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Funded support available for South Gloucestershire businesses to bounce back from the pandemic

Megan — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 11:13:42 +0000

One-to-one expert advice to help local businesses recover and flourish

Cool Ventures Team of Experts

A timely new programme of business support called ‘Business Scale-up Programme’ has recently been launched to assist businesses in South Gloucestershire bounce back from the pandemic and build resilience. Funded by South Gloucestershire Council, the programme is delivered by business support consultancy, Cool Ventures, and offers small business owners free, one-to-one support to help their businesses get back on track after two tough years of trading.

The Business Scale-up Programme provides up to 12 hours of specialist one-to-one support and is tailored to tackle the individual needs of the businesses taking part. This programme allows small business owners to clarify their goals and challenges with a Cool Ventures consultant before working alongside one or more business experts who specialise in either strategy, finance, marketing or HR and can offer practical support or advice.

Cllr Toby Savage, Leader of South Gloucestershire Council with Cabinet responsibility for the Local Economy and Devolution, said: “Small businesses are vital to our local economy and we want to do all that we can to help them to thrive, so I am very pleased the council has been able to fund this personalised support.”

He went on to say, “I encourage any eligible businesses in the area to consider taking part in this beneficial programme. Having tailored 1:1 support and shared experience from experts specialising in either strategy, finance, marketing or HR is an excellent opportunity and will help to ensure that local companies have the skills they need for the future.”

To be eligible for this fully funded support, small businesses must be based within South Gloucestershire, have achieved a turnover of over £10,000 and have fewer than 49 employees. If your business isn’t eligible for this programme, Cool Ventures, also offers other schemes via the South Gloucestershire Business Support Service https://coolventures.co.uk/south-gloucestershire-funded-support/.

Cool Ventures provides business support and coaching for businesses across the West of England and have helped over two thousand companies in South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset since 2017.

Sue Marchant, Managing Director at Cool Ventures based in Chipping Sodbury said: “The last two years have been exceptionally challenging for local businesses and we are hearing about the same issues again and again – recruitment and staff retention challenges, supply chain delays and rising costs. The causes of these challenges are multi-faceted and include the impact of the pandemic on customer behaviour and spending patterns, rising inflation, post-Brexit changes to import and export activity, and the changing working environment. This new programme, with its combination of specialist expertise, hands-on practical and targeted support differs from more general business support programmes and can help small businesses re-focus on their strengths to flourish, grow or return to their pre-pandemic form.”

Emma Doney, owner of Adorno Companions and Adorno Community Day Centre, a South Gloucestershire-based organisation supporting clients in later life said, “We decided to take advantage of this fully funded, intensive business advice programme because we needed help with our marketing strategy to enable us to grow and refine our services. Cool Ventures matched us with a marketing and branding expert Natasha Bye. Natasha was excellent in helping us to define our brand values and identify target audiences. We are halfway through the agreed support plan but I already have a much clearer understanding of who we are and what makes us stand out. I feel supported and enabled and look forward to moving my business forward.’’

To find out if your South Gloucestershire business is eligible for the Business Scale-up Programme visit:

https://coolventures.co.uk/funded-support/business-scale-up-programme-south-gloucestershire

To find out about other funded business support in South Gloucestershire visit https://coolventures.co.uk/south-gloucestershire-funded-support/

To apply for these programmes or to hear about the support available in Bath and North East Somerset, contact Cool Ventures on E: info@coolventures.co.uk /T:08000 418293/ www.coolventures.co.uk

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