What happens when passion meets precision – but growth stalls? Business Owner Alan Coles pivoted his business and found his niche through support from the Group2Grow Programme, allowing him to take a step back, refocus and reshape Optimal Automotive into a specialist brand with a clear direction and renewed purpose.

Nicola Coulson, founder of ‘Virtual Assist by Nicola’ transformed the setback of redundancy into the realisation of a dream and the launchpad for her own business. Through help from peer network programme Group2Grow she has found reassurance and renewed confidence to achieve her business growth ambitions.

Transforming Creativity into a Thriving Business with support from The North Essex Economic Board.

Luke Morton, widely known as "The Juice Guy," founded Juicing with Luke in April 2021. Recognising the need to take his business to the next level, Luke joined Blueprint for Business for structured guidance.

To grow the business and expand her connections, Helen found support from a range of business support organisations in her home county of Essex including the Federation of Small Businesses, Launchpad Southend and Backing Essex Business.

Finding her footing back into employment after raising two children, Annie Jones, Founder of Rayleigh Marketing, launched her own business in 2015 to help other businesses get the most out of social media. With the support from the Group2Grow Peer Networking Programme, she has been able to build on her confidence, as well as make connections with other business leaders within her cohort.

Caryl Lynzy, from Colchester, created her business Butterfly Home & Pet Sitters in early 2023 after falling in love with the flexible lifestyle that home and pet sitting offered. Quickly building up her own customer base, she established her own company – and found support from the Group 2 Grow Peer Network Programme from Backing Essex Business to create a business that thrived.

Jo Hall, from Chelmsford, gained expert support and guidance for her new resilience coaching business Let’s Get On With It through the free Group2Grow Peer Network programme from Backing Essex Business, which enabled her to develop her own confidence and business mindset

Supporting St Helena Hospice Through Ethical Enterprise Total Clean, in support of St Helena a commercial cleaning business based in Colchester, talks about how it ‘provides a service, whilst giving back’ and how it was able put in motion its plan for the future thanks to support from a business support programme funded by the North Essex Economic Board.

After leaving her previous job at the NHS to raise her children, mum of two, Amy, founded her own business to allow flexibility around her personal life. With the support through the Group2Grow Programme, she has been able to gain a clear understanding of the intricacies of running her own business.

Creators of the quickly growing in popularity children’s magazine ‘POPIN’, Kids Active Media are on a mission to make early learning fun for children and prepare them for school – and got support from the Backing Essex Business team and the Create South East programme to create a plan for sustainable growth

Neuronotion Owner Emma Emma-Jane Beaumont talks about how support from Southend on Sea transformative Business Support Programme delivered by Let’s Do Business Group has improved her own self confidence and helped keep her on the right track for success.

Deepa Graham is a breakup and divorce coach, helping others to navigate through their own emotional turmoil. Following her own struggles of going through a divorce, she set up Deevorce Coaching to support others in a similar situation. With the support from the Group2Grow Peer Networking Programme, she is now feeling more confident moving her business forward.

Leanne Johnson, founder of Chelmsford Drama Centre explains how attending Group2Grow Peer Network Programme has given her the clarity and direction to take the business forward.

An award-winning beauty business which began in a kitchen back in 2018 by a sixteen-year-old, has since expanded to two salons in Essex, with a mission to make every visit an unforgettable experience. Receiving support from Business Support Programme Backing Essex Business, Si Belle Beauty has been able to double her team and expanding her offer to her clients.

PR Professional Karin Ridgers from boutique Vegan PR agency Mad Promotions, Billericay discusses the importance of making the right connections with and for her clients, and how support from business support programme Backing Essex Business has helped her align her plans, giving her increased confidence to see them through.

Little Jimmy’s Preschool in Clacton on Sea discusses the joys and challenges of running a community nursery, and how support from business support organisation Backing Essex Business funded by the North East Economic Board (NEEB) helped them to access vital grant funding to develop their offering and given them the confidence to continue their mission to provide affordable childcare to underserved areas of Essex.

Spring Bone Broth, based in West Hanningfield, just south of Chelmsford, received advice and support from the fully funded Backing Essex Business support service to help with their electricity bills and moving to a new supplier.

Paris from Essex overcame her hurdles and now has a clear plan for the growth of her new business APeacefulPlace2Be after reaching out to fully-funded business support service Backing Essex Business.

CEO and Founder Ryan Bell is gearing up to help the masses improve their relationship with technology with his innovative new app Tech Balance – a platform that will enable students to create a healthy tech-life balance.