Our total business support service

Furness Enterprise will help entrepreneurs and their companies to realise their business ambitions in a realistic way within the Furness Assisted Area.We help firms access money and markets.we help individuals access jobs.We are a local enterprise partnership.

Click here to see what discretionary financial assistance is on offer.

We provide a discretionary, professional, free, effective, co-ordinated, 'one stop' service to all types of enquiring companies or individuals particularily those who have been out of the labour market for some time to access jobs.

We promote opportunities for jobs in the area's main Working Neighbourhoods,  wards where most of the job opportunities are located - areas of Barrow like: Park Road in Ormsgill, Hindpool's Furness Business park, Central ward's town centre retail and commercial zone, The Waterfront and Barrow Shipyard, both in Barrow Island ward.

For new companies moving into Furness or expanding local firms we can:

• Help you to define your specific business requirements
• Identify how they can be satisfied locally,using, if appropriate, discretionary grants 
• Seek to match your needs with resources available in the Furness area.
• A Project Development Plan briefing will set out some options for meeting your company's requirements.
• Arrange to come and see you, or prepare an itinerary for you to visit Furness - it can take in meetings with existing successful company owners already located here in Furness, viewing of available sites or premises, meetings with labour providers.
• Help you to make applications for financial or other support for your project,then
  Support you once you have established here.
• Waterside House, our HQ and the business centre for Furness, is also a useful base and venue for companies of all sizes seeking  a "soft landing" in Cumbria and the Bay area. Touch-down offices and meeting rooms are available for use by Companies. In co-operation with our public and private sector partners, we  can ensure that your establishment here is fast, efficient and friendly by using  Waterside House.

Our through life "aftercare" support service delivered in partnership with Invest in Cumbria,NW Development Agency  and UKTI export services is designed to help you prosper and reinvest in the Furness area once you have set up here. We keep in touch on a regular basis to provide help with:

• Product development, technology and innovation support
• Skills development assistance,
• advice on sites and premises availability
• help with identification of new markets at home and abroad, or
• Preparation of grant bid cases to secure reinvestment
• Contacts with local/regional Government officials

If you are an established business, you will be able to take advantage of all the above services looking to source a supplier or develop a new supply route overseas consider visiting the free to use website Trade partners which lists 50,000 exporters across the UK. You can also make use of our substantial companies and library.

If you are considering starting a new business under our programme to "build an entrepreneurial culture" you can try one of our Personal Enterprise shows to see if being an entrepreneur is for you, you can also participate in a BEST Basic Business Course after discussing your business idea with one of our business councillors or coaches. Tell us about your idea for a new business and we will send you a start up pack about setting up a business, including a Business Opportunity Profile on the type of business you are considering. You can also attend our regular business Masterclasses and entrepreneur evenings.

To help ensure you have a future workforce we are working with a number of schools notably Walney School to help young people develop an enterprising outlook

If you are looking to recruit your workforce we can help individuals access jobs you have on offer and match your vacancies to those seeking work by delivering jobs fairs or by direct introductions through our four Workshop drop in centres situated in the more deprived wards of Barrow-in Furness.