SOMERSET’S four district councils have joined forces to fund and launch a new scheme to give start-ups and early stage businesses the best chance of success – and today the deadline for applications was extended from Monday to next Friday (September 4).

Called Somerset Catalyst, it is part of a wider business support programme across the county.

The extended deadline gives candidates more time to complete their online applications and a wider window for the judges to conduct more panel interviews, to meet the demand.

Alex Parmley, chief executive of South Somerset District Council, said: “It continues to be a challenging year for most as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, but it’s also been a year of reflection and, in many cases, changes of direction for individuals and businesses.

“It is often the case that unexpected crises lead to amazing creativity and incredible resourcefulness – just the qualities business owners need to succeed.

“We know there are a great many people out there that might not think of themselves as entrepreneurs yet but, really, there’s no time like the present to take the plunge and see where it leads.”

“Here in Somerset we know there’s enormous potential to create a vibrant business community and this is key to achieving economic growth throughout the region. This is why we are committed to putting the support in place to help businesses get off the ground and reach their potential here. Somerset Catalyst is a fundamental part of this work.”

Somerset Catalyst will run annually, commencing in September for a six-month duration. The bespoke programme features one-to-one expert coaching for the ten chosen businesses and will be tailored to focus on the specific elements each business needs to succeed.

There will also be workshops hosted on key aspects of running a business, a peer support group, business review panels with industry experts, help to access business finance and profile-raising marketing support. The 2020 programme has been adapted to a hybrid model, using virtual technologies as well as face-to-face interaction.

Peter Birkett, one of the mentors running Somerset Catalyst, has been instrumental in similar business schemes: “No ideas are bad ones!” he said.

“All we are looking for is potential: potential to step into a market and shake it up with a new or more efficient way of doing things, potential to create a new market or plug a gap in one; potential for success.

“The highly experienced team has the necessary skills and contacts to really help get these ideas off paper and into the world with the best chance of success.”

Anyone who has thought about setting up in business or is already running an early stage business and is ready to accelerate growth, can appl yonline at www.somerset

catalyst.co.uk.