Provide business and enterprise support to your clients
Overview
This standard is for entrepreneurs who provide support to their clients. It is recommended for professionals providing support to individuals who are considering starting their own business and running existing businesses, either on a voluntary or commercial basis. You need this for working with clients to identify and select the services and service providers that they need to achieve their personal and business development goals. You assist the client in specifying what they want providers to do, share criteria to select appropriate providers of support services and identify sources of funding which may assist the client in paying for services where required.
Business support refers to assistance which is received from individuals or organisations outside of the business, related to a specific business problem or opportunity or development of the business. Enterprise support refers to assistance which is received by individuals considering starting their own business. A 'business' can mean an independent entity such as a private sector business, a social enterprise, a charitable or voluntary organisation, or a significant operating unit, with a relative degree of autonomy, within a larger organisation. It can also refer to a formal partnership where two or more businesses are working together towards common goals.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- identify a range of service providers who can meet the needs and requirements of the clients in moving from opportunity to action
- advise clients on appropriate methods for selecting and using providers of business and enterprise support services including any criteria that have to be met if public funding is to be used
- work with clients to specify their requirements for business and enterprise support
- ensure that clients can develop an appropriate brief for potential suppliers of business and enterprise support services to obtain quotes
- enable clients to develop and use criteria for selecting suppliers that will provide them with the services that they require and best value
- provide clients with tools for monitoring the progress of a business and enterprise support service against agreed targets and milestones
- propose options for clients to access business and enterprise support services including potential sources of finance for their needs
- develop systems to record management information on the support services used by your clients
- ensure that clients retain responsibility for selecting and using providers of business and enterprise support
- comply with legal requirements, industry regulations, organisational policies and professional codes
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
Business support services
1. the scope and nature of business and enterprise support services appropriate to the needs of different clients and how to contact them
2. the sources of information available for clients about the extent and nature of business support services
3. how different types of business and enterprise support service can provide the required expertise and knowledge for clients
4. why it is important to be clear about the criteria relating to the accessibility of different types of business support services
5. methods for assessing the impartiality and independence of business and enterprise support services
6. the legal requirements, industry regulations, organisational policies and professional codes
Brokerage
7. the information that should be included in a brief for suppliers of business and enterprise support services
8. the criteria for selecting suppliers of business and enterprise support services that will best meet the needs of the clients
9. the records to be kept about introductions of the client to other sources of support
10. why it is important to ensure that the clients retain responsibility for choosing and using suppliers of business and enterprise support services
11. the legislative, regulatory, advisory and organisational sources of support
Funding
12. the range of potential funding opportunities available to the clients
13. the methods for accessing and applying for funding from different funding agencies