The OPTIMAL Programme

Business is hard; this past year has been even tougher than normal.  But whilst your business has faced unprecedented challenges, you’ve also adapted to survive and keep going.  And we want to support you.  If you have less than 50 full-time employees and are based within Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council area, the Optimal business growth programme offers support through mentoring, workshops and networking. This project is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth & Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) Programme.
The Optimal programme is for small and medium sized businesses and social enterprises within the Borough.

What is the Optimal programme about?

• Supporting the creation of new, sustainable jobs in Antrim & Newtownabbey;
• Helping businesses recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting them to sustain existing jobs;
• Referring businesses to Invest NI for financial support;
• Strengthening the local business base by helping businesses become more competitive in home and export markets;
• Promoting business growth and innovation;
• Providing accessible, tailored business support;
• Promoting networking between businesses within the Borough;
• Engaging with key business support stakeholders to develop a portfolio approach to business support in the council area, ensuring that there is no duplication of effort.

How Can Mentoring Help My Business?

Mentors are available right now to help your business or social enterprise.  They are selected based on your business needs to enable them to share the advice, skills and knowledge that’s right for you.  Mentoring isn’t the same as training – instead of learning the theory of what works, a mentor will meet with you (virtually or in person) with specialist knowledge to work with you and your business.  They bring their experience from a range of specialisms such as digital, export, marketing, finance or HR and governance.

How Will Mentoring Take Place?

Mentors can arrange sessions flexibly around you so you can focus on growing your business while you work.  Due to COVID-19 restrictions, mentoring will initially be virtual, so it’s more convenient than ever to fit into doing business. If and when restrictions change, you will have the option to switch to face-to-face meetings, stick with virtual or a combination of both – whatever you’re comfortable with.   

Similarly, our series of business workshops will offer learning across 6 different areas: digital, export, social enterprise, sales, general and sustainability. These will also take place virtually at this stage, but will still be interactive and engaging.  You don’t have to take part in the mentoring programme to attend these workshops, so you can still benefit from guidance and advice with the added benefit of networking with other local business owners who are facing the same challenges as you.  Where possible, you’ll be signposted to other organisations that can support you too; whether that’s Council support, Invest NI, your local Enterprise Agency, college or other partners who can help. 

The Optimal Programme is part-funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth & Jobs Northern Ireland Programme.

Who Can Apply?

Small to medium sized businesses or social enterprises with less than 50 full-time employees and a registered business address in the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area.

How To Apply

The Optimal programme is now open for new applications – just complete the form below and click submit for someone from our Economic Development team to get in contact with you. 

Apply Now

Business Name:
Main Contact Name:
Main Contact Position:
Telephone Number:
Mobile:
Email:
Website:
Address:
Postcode:
Trading status:	Sole Trader Partnership Limited Company Other
Is your business a social enterprise?:	Yes No
Date Business Established:
Description of main business activities, including products/services:
No. of Employees:
No. of Locations:
Business Sector:
Annual Turnover:	If not available please estimate.
Export Sales ROI £:
Export Sales GB £:
Export Sales Other £:
Please select a business category (Tick up to 2 options):	Accommodation Agriculture Building/Construction Business Services Consumer Services Engineering/Electronics Estate Agents Financial Services Food/Drink/Catering Government/Education Hair & Beauty IT/Communications Legal Leisure/Tourism/Facilities Licensed Premises Transport/Logistics Manufacturing Mechanical Services Media Medical/Health & Care Printing & Packaging Retail/Wholesale Other (please specify)
Specialist Assistance you are interested in (Tick up to 2 options):	Digital - Website design & set up, app development, social media, SEO, remote working, cyber security Try Export – Finding new customers, selling strategies in export markets, trade tariffs and documentation Social Enterprise – Governance, managing volunteers, applying for grants & loans General – Recruitment & staff management, financial planning, marketing, costing and pricing Sales - Selling Strategies, finding new customers, marketing, branding and visual merchandising Sustaining business – business planning, efficiency, financial management Other: give details
Please give specific detail on the issue within your business you wish to address and the type of support you are seeking:
Please outline all other supports which your business is currently receiving, eg: business support programmes, grant support, mentoring etc.:
I Consent:	I understand that the personal data that I submit will be required to process my request. I understand that this data will only be used for the purposes of the request and will be held in accordance with current data protection legislation.
Do you wish to join the Council business directory to be kept informed about other funding and business support services?:	Yes No
Security code:	Enter security code:

Terms and Conditions

• This project is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth & Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) Programme.
• Support will be dependent on the sustainability or growth potential of the business.
• Mentoring is allocated on a per business basis.
• All mentoring must be completed before the programme end date.
• Only mentors approved by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council will be used in the mentoring process.
• Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council will not accept liability for advice given by independent advisers. 

Contact Us

To discuss support for your business and the Optimal programme, contact Sara Thompson on T. 07799 533 876

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