1-2-1 support: Preparing to RESTART your business post COVID-19 (Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin businesses)

Businesses have been badly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, whilst some have been able to continue trading, albeit differently, many have had to either scale back or cease operations completely. As talk now turns to ‘reigniting the economy’, business owners face the challenge of ‘restarting’ their businesses from what feels like a standing stop. This represents a highly daunting task, especially as a certain amount of ‘creativity’ may be required in order to successfully trade whilst ensuring compliance with Government demands of continued social distancing.

Marches Growth Hub is determined that its local businesses not only emerge more resilient and focused as a result of this crisis, but that they are also given every opportunity to restart their operations smoothly and successfully. To this end they have enlisted the services of The Export Department and its RESTART Programme.

The RESTART Programme entails a number of hours of free coaching and ‘hands on’ operational support to help businesses through the next few months and plan effectively for resuming operations as COVID-19 restrictions are gradually lifted. Participating companies will receive remote support from a dedicated business adviser and coach to:

• ensure they have tapped into all available Government support


• navigate their way through the next few months, using their time productively to address any knowledge gaps, inefficiencies, or challenges within their operation, and to explore alternative revenue streams that can serve to help boost resistance against future crises


• apply learning from this crisis to feed into a tried and tested Business Continuity Plan (BCP) that will help safeguard the business against a potential second lockdown and/or future crises


• explore the potential for early revenue-generating opportunities and develop an effective stakeholder communications plan in preparation for COVID-19 restrictions being lifted


• plan to restart their operation in a manner that is compliant with Government social distancing measures

This support is open to all businesses across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, irrespective of size, that may have had to scale back or cease trading during the COVID-19 crisis and that are now looking to resume operations.

If you are a business based in one of the regions above and you wish to take advantage of this support, simply “Select a Time” for your initial 1-2-1 session to kickstart the process. We will then contact you directly and help get you on the road to successfully restarting your business.