This programme has now closed to applications.
Working with Tees Valley Business, NBSL have worked with over 170 businesses to support management know-how, processes or systems in business with up to 40% grant funding towards projects costing between £2,500 and £4,000.

What type of project were we able to fund?
Improving Management Know-How
We helped to fund a Business Expert to come in and improve your flair for marketing, your dexterity for data or your knack for strategy. In fact, you could use the funding towards almost any kind of coaching or mentoring that would help your business to be managed more effectively by you and your team:
- Developing growth strategies.
- Entering new markets and attracting new clients.
- Winning more tenders or bids.
- Creating content that stands out from the crowd.
- Improving your products, services or processes.
- Analysing data to make better business decisions.
Improving Management Processes or Systems
If your management time is spent using inefficient processes and systems to run the business, we could help to fund a Business Expert to deliver a range of projects where the end result frees up management time to focus on growing the business. Examples include:
- Process improvement consultancy.
- Design of internal financial reporting systems.
- Development of new HR performance management processes.
- Development of management reporting processes.
- Improvements to stock control processes or systems .
- Automation of customer management processes or systems.

Who was the funding for?
Our funding was for Tees Valley SMEs that wanted to grow, but needed to improve their management performance to make it happen. It didn’t matter which part of the business you needed to develop, our funding could help you to bring in a Business Expert to give you and your team the expertise or the time to manage it more effectively.
Take a look at the types of successful Tees Valley businesses we’ve already supported:
The Tees Valley business had their eye on national growth, investment and infrastructure improvement. The leadership team needed to improve their ability and capability to deliver growth.
We provided funding to support the cost of mentors who could challenge, motivate and develop their ability to deliver:
- A market driven growth strategy
- Evolved infrastructure - flexibility
- Evolved process improvement
This small independent hotelier based in the Tees Valley had experienced increased occupancy levels but were keen to increase their corporate income stream.
Our funding helped them to bring in a Marketing mentor to improve the senior team’s ability to improve their Marketing Strategy and Message
This Tees Valley based business wanted to evolve performance monitoring and processes to enhance their reputation in an increasingly competitive market.
Our funding was used towards the cost of a coaching programme with Process Experts to identify:
- Process monitoring improvements
- Enhanced KPIs
- Improved reputation through marketing of KPIs
Looking to improve their success rate in national tenders, we supported them with a grant to bring in a tendering expert who improved their ability to write compelling and persuasive tenders to improve their success rate.
Applications for our Tees Valley funding are now closed.
Advice, support and finamce are still available for eligible businesses through the Tees Valley | Business website.
