he government’s Help to Grow: Digital scheme – designed to support smaller businesses in adopting digital technologies so they can grow – has opened for applications today (20 January).
Under the scheme, eligible businesses can now receive discounts of up to £5,000 off the retail price of approved Digital Accounting and CRM software from leading technology suppliers. This software will help them to effectively manage their finances and build customer relationships, ultimately levelling up the way businesses are run and helping them to scale up.
From today, businesses can also access practical, specialised support and advice on how to choose the right digital technologies to boost their growth and productivity through a new online platform.
The new Help to Grow: Digital scheme sits alongside the Help to Grow: Management scheme launched in 2021 as part of wider government efforts to back businesses and level up the economy.
Through Help to Grow: Digital, the government is providing business leaders with the advice and funding they need to embrace digital technology and help their business grow.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:
I want UK businesses to be primed and ready to seize all the opportunities on the horizon as we build back better from the pandemic.
Adopting technology means higher performance, and the Help to Grow: Digital scheme is future-proofing our small businesses and putting the UK at the forefront of the worldwide digital revolution.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:
Small and medium sized businesses are the backbone of our economy, creating jobs and prosperity across the UK.
When I announced this at Budget I said we wanted to help businesses become more innovative, more competitive and more profitable and I am excited this programme allows them do that.
Help to Grow: Digital will help them to grow and flourish by adopting new technologies that are proven to improve processes and boost productivity, levelling up their digital technology and skills.
Mike Cherry, National Chair at the Federation of Small Businesses, said:
Small businesses are often keen to embrace new technologies, but we know that 1 in 4 lack confidence in their own basic digital skills. For those small firms who are eligible, providing the means to make improvements through projects like this will make a real difference for those that are keen to expand their knowledge and skills.
Our own research has shown that just 40% of small business owners have used applications like cloud services and online data storage or back-up. It’s crucial that practical changes like this scheme are put in place to help small firms adopt digital technologies, making improvements to their own business and driving growth.
We’re encouraging as many eligible small firms to apply and make the most of this new scheme.
Business Minister Lord Callanan said:
Tech is proven to boost business productivity and help firms, however big or small, to work better.
The cost-effective support, advice and software offered through Help to Grow: Digital will help to level up the UK economy, backing jobs and growth and bolstering the ability of our businesses to compete globally.
Tech and Digital Economy Minister Chris Philp said:
We’re working hard to make sure small businesses can capitalise on technology’s potential to give people new skills, create jobs and power growth in the economy.
The support and advice provided by this new scheme will supercharge small businesses and build a workforce with tech talents fit for the future.
If your business is growing, you may want to consider moving over to a more robust platform. At Software for Entrepreneurs Uk, we have taken all the guesswork out of finding the right business software for you. The following is a list of three new business solutions that will help you do just that.
ooking for a new business software provider for your UK small business? Here are 5 business software providers to choose from
Check out this list of the top 5 business software providers for UK small businesses in 2021.
monday.com
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (3714)
monday.com is about so much more than tracking your workflows and processes. Through its agile, flexible platform, you can manage your teams, boss your portfolio, and orchestrate seamless collaboration across teams.
£7.00 monthly
- Super customisable
- Completely no-code
- Smooth, intuitive UI
FreshBooks
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (653)
Get paid, send estimates, track spending, and keep an eye on your sales tax with FreshBook’s user-centric, user-friendly accounting software. Send unlimited invoices, and do it from wherever, whenever – from any of your devices.
£11.00 monthly
- Chat with clients
- Automatic billing
- 60% off for 6 months
Freshsales
With a vibrant interface and handy drag-and-drop pipelines, Freshworks CRM is a cinch to use. Smart lead scoring tools tell you which prospects to prioritize, while superb sales forecasting tools put your business a step ahead.
Starting at £25.00
- Unlimited users, free
- Highly affordable
- 24/5 phone support
Lightspeed
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (195)
Future-proof your business with Lightspeed Point of Sale. Manage your inventory and track sales with Lightspeed Retail. With Lightspeed Retail, power your business with features like contactless delivery and delivery.
£79.00 monthly
- contactless payment
- advanced reporting
- 24/7 support
QuickBooks
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (2509)
QuickBooks smart, simple, HMRC-recognised software helps you focus on running your business. Manage taxes, cash flow, invoicing and payroll, all in one place. There’s no contract and award-winning UK-based support is free.
Starting at £6.00
- 50% off for 4 months
- HMRC-recognised
- Award-winning support
How is this top 5 composed?
These business software providers are selected based on the business type for which they were developed, (expert) reviews and the possibilities and functions.
Important functions include identifying sales opportunities, recording service issues and managing marketing campaigns. The start-up time, ease of use and support were examined in the expert reviews.
Choice for business software providers: what should I take into account?
The range of business software systems is wide. How do you make a wise choice? There are a number of things that you have to take into account when choosing.
1. Your business processes
Start by defining which business processes should be facilitated by the software. Is it for example finance, sales, human resources or customer service? The list of processes will give you a good understanding of what type of business software you need.
2. Number of invoices and offers
Take a good look at the number of invoices and quotations that can be created and sent within the program. With a number of providers this is limited and you have to pay more if you want to send more.
3. Your budget
The costs heavily depends on the type of business software you need. An accounting program costs about 10-20 euros a month, but more complex systems like CRM and ERP systems will be much more expensive. Create a wish list with must-haves, should-haves and could-haves using the MoSCow method. In this way you prevent paying for features you won’t use in the future.
4. Integration with other software
Do you already use other software for, for example, payments on your website or do you keep track of your customer contacts in a business software package? If so, see if a link is possible. That makes it much more convenient.
Conclusion
In business, you never know what to expect. There are times when things work out as well as you have planned, and there are times when it seems like nothing is going right. My early years in business were hard, I didn’t know much about the market, how to market my products or even what I was selling for that matter. It made me feel lost in a sea of competitors but luckily now days I know so much more about digital marketing and software for entrepreneurs uk that I can help others who are at the same stage as I was once.