Continuing the series on the wide range of support being made available to County Durham companies as the country emerges from lockdown, PETER BARRON highlights the benefits of the Durham Ambitious Start-ups Programme (DABS)

ENTREPRENEUR Claire Mitchell admits that her plans to turn her passion for education into a business could have foundered without the support of Business Durham.

Now, thanks to the Durham Ambitious Start-ups Programme (DABS), Berry Education has come through the challenges of lockdown with ambitions to grow.

Claire’s company, based on the Old Brewery offices in Castle Eden, provides holistic support services to help multi-academy trusts with leadership and governance.

It is now on the cusp of entering an exciting new digital phase, with plans to create more jobs.

However, Claire isn’t even sure the business would have survived without the support of DABS, run by TEDCO, on behalf of Business Durham, the economic development arm of Durham County Council.

“Without that support, we would be nowhere near the level of growth we now have. In fact, we might not even have a sustainable business,” she said.

Claire was born and raised in Easington Village, and attended Easington Church of England Primary School, where she now serves as chair of governors.

After building up a wealth of experience in the education sector, she decided to launch her own company after seeing a gap for independent support for academies.

The timing could not have been more challenging. She’d left her previous job a few months before the pandemic struck, and it wasn’t until the following September before Berry Education was ready to open for business.

The original business model was for a bank of consultants providing face-to-face support in schools but, around the time she had started to realise that the model was unsustainable, a colleague made her aware of the DABS programme.

DABS is designed to help those embarking on new business ventures and is celebrating its first anniversary, having helped 100 entrepreneurs.

“The programme, and one-to-one advice from TEDCO, made me see that the model was never going to allow the business grow,” she recalled.

DABS supported Claire with producing a growth business plan and two-year financial forecast, which secured a £25,000 start-up loan via Virgin Start Up.

Through DABS, she was also connected to Digital Drive – a funding programme also offered through Business Durham. That led to a grant to support her own capital investment in bespoke governance management information software, that will enable the business to grow massively over the next couple of years.

In addition, Business Durham approved a £5,000 grant to help her recruit a new member of staff, with Chris Fairs joining as HR and Governance Partner in March.

The clear route forward now is to invest in digital side of the business, while also still offering face-to-face services. The software will be owned by Berry Education and schools can buy into it from September, opening up access to 33,000 schools nationally.

Berry Education currently has 10 face to face consultancy contracts, but the aim is to increase that to 150 over the next year. And, if the software sells well, Claire hopes to recruit a team of seven or eight.

“The support has been fantastic – it’s completely transformed the business,” she said.

“When you set up on your own, it can be a lonely place but it makes such a difference to have access to people with experience, expertise and the right contacts. Business Durham and the DABS programme have been an integral part of our success and I’d whole-heartedly recommend to to other start-ups.”

Sarah Slaven, managing director of Business Durham, said: “There are lots of entrepreneurs with great business ideas, but they don’t always have the confidence to pursue them. Durham Ambitious Business Start-Ups is all about increasing ambition, raising aspirations and helping companies to reach their full potential in County Durham.

“DABS has helped Berry Education to develop a business plan and secure funding to grow the business.  We wish Claire all the best and look forward to continuing to support the company.”

DABS FACTFILE

  • The programme offers two support packages – one for those with a great idea and have not yet started their business; and another for entrepreneurs who have already launched their business.
  • Eligible businesses taking part in the programme, and are less than 12 months old, can apply for a £5,000 jobs grant to help create a new role.
  • DABS Sprint is a new offer – a fast-track start-up programme to take an idea and make it ready to trade within 28 days.
  • Durham Ambitious Business Start-ups is an ERDF-funded programme that helps high-quality start-ups in County Durham start trading and offers premium quality support during your critical first 12 months in business.

Find out more: www.durhamstartups.co.uk