Develop your own ability to provide business and enterprise support services
Overview
This standard is for entrepreneurs who develop their own ability to provide a business and enterprise support service. It is recommended for professionals providing support to individuals considering starting their own business and running existing businesses, either on a voluntary or commercial basis. You need this for developing your abilities and skills in supporting individuals and businesses in moving from opportunity to action. It requires you to develop your knowledge and skills in provision of business support services, reflect on support to your clients, and, where appropriate, review your needs and requirements with the priorities of your organisation.
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:
- review the guidelines for your role provided by your organisation and professional body
- evaluate the requirements of your role in providing business and enterprise support services
- evaluate your responsibilities in relation to expectations and objectives of your organisation
- ensure your level of knowledge and understanding meets or exceeds the clients' expectations
- identify the routes into business for individuals considering starting their own business and the life world of the small business owner-manager
- analyse the extent and nature of business and enterprise support services to meet clients' needs
- collate the trends, opportunities and developments in business processes and practices for individuals starting their own business or for existing small business
- identify and suggest developments in the business support provided by you and your organisation
- agree on use of information and communications technologies with your clients
- extend your knowledge and expertise in response to changes in business processes, practices and business and enterprise support services
- obtain the relevant information to provide business and enterprise support services
- collect feedback from clients, colleagues and other stakeholders about your performance
- identify any gaps between the current and future requirements of your professional role and your current skills, knowledge and behaviours
- create a personal development plan including aims and objectives
- carry out your own learning and skills development to address any gaps in current skills, knowledge and understanding
- reflect on your own motivations in providing business and enterprise support to clients
- evaluate your practice in providing business and enterprise support services including an assessment against recognised professional standards and your own objectives
- update your personal development plan to record achievements, adding new aims and objectives
- comply with legal requirements, industry regulations, organisational policies and professional codes
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
Ethical and professional considerations
1. the relevant guidelines provided by your organisation and professional body for provision of business and enterprise support services
2. the principles of ethics, values and standards of good practice
3. why it important to maintain privacy and confidentiality in your services provision
4. the legal requirements, industry regulations, organisational policies and professional codes
Your professional development
5. the principles of professional development
6. the style of learning that best suits you
7. the key elements and scope of a professional development plan
8. why it is important to invest in continuing professional development
9. why it is important to review the current requirements of your role and how these requirements may evolve in the future
10. how to identify development needs to address any identified gaps between the requirements of your practice and your current knowledge, skills and behaviours
11. how to enhance your knowledge and understanding of small businesses and business development processes and practices
12. why it is important to reflect on your motivations to providing business and enterprise support services and how to do this regularly
13. your own strengths and development areas in providing business and enterprise support services
14. your values and personal and career goals and how to relate them to your role in providing business and enterprise support services
15. how to set personal objectives which are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART) and plan associated actions
16. how to update work objectives and development plans in the light of your performance in business and enterprise support services provision
17. the way your organisation and a professional body works including resources, objectives, targets and training and development budget
18. the objectives of your organisation and a professional body for personal development
Improve your performance
19. the standards of performance set by you, your organisation and professional body
20. how to evaluate your performance against the requirements of your role in providing business and enterprise support services
21. how to use feedback on your performance to add value to the business and enterprise support services provided
22. how to monitor the quality of your work and your progress against requirements and plans
23. the ways to develop your knowledge about and experience of providing business and enterprise support services
24. how to increase your confidence when working with individuals and businesses from different backgrounds and situations
25. the advantages and disadvantages of different types of development activities
26. how development activities have contributed to your performance in providing business and enterprise support services