Northumberland Small Business Service

What Northumberland Small Business Service does

Northumberland Small Business Service (NSBS) is a publicly funded business support programme launched in 2023 and delivered by Northumberland County Council. It is co-financed by the North East Combined Authority and the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural England Prosperity Fund, and provides free advisory services, grants, and resources to eligible small businesses across Northumberland. The programme is headquartered at County Hall, Morpeth.

NSBS operates four service streams: Growth & Resilience (supporting established businesses to scale), Enterprise & Start Up (assisting new business formation), Food & Drink (sector-specific support), and Farming Advisory (rural and agricultural business support). It also administers grant programmes including the Rural Capital Grant, which offers £10,000 to £300,000, and the Enterprise Grant, which provides up to £2,000. Since launch, NSBS reports having supported more than 300 businesses, contributed to over 140 jobs created, and channelled in excess of £6 million in grants over a three-year period.

The programme is delivered in partnership with a regional ecosystem including FADNE, Northumberland National Park Authority, Advance Northumberland, Far North Digital, and the Rural Design Centre. Programme leadership rests with Lucy Evermore as Programme Manager. The programme's original endpoint of March 2026 has been extended, signalling continued public-sector commitment. NSBS is not a commercial entity: it has no proprietary software, no digital product surface beyond an informational website, and no fee-bearing customers.

Name

Northumberland Small Business Service

Legal name

Northumberland Small Business Service

Website

https://northumberlandsmallbusiness.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Northumberland Small Business Service is a publicly funded business support programme delivered by Northumberland County Council, providing free advisory services and grants to eligible small businesses across Northumberland, co-financed by the North East Combined Authority and UK Government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Business Support Services

NAICS

Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Business Services, Nec (7389), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Intergovernmental Affairs & Federal Grants Administration (BPAIAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Business support services
• Rural enterprise development
• Government grant funding
• Startup advisory services
• Farming advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ashington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Funding / Government Grants: Fully-funded service delivered by Northumberland County Council, part-funded by North East Combined Authority and UK Government through UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural England Prosperity Fund. No revenue is generated from end-users as services are free to eligible businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Northumberland Small Business Service (NSBS) is a fully-funded government programme that delivers free business advisory services, grant funding, workshops, and networking support to micro and small businesses, pre-start entrepreneurs, and rural enterprises across Northumberland. It operates four core support streams (Growth & Resilience Support, Enterprise and Start Up Support, Food & Drink Support, and Farming Advisory Service), administers two grant instruments (Rural Capital Grant £10,000–£300,000 and Enterprise and Start Up Grant up to £2,000), and runs events including the annual Northumberland Enterprise Festival and the Taste of Northumberland accreditation scheme.

Product overview

Northumberland Small Business Service (NSBS) is a fully-funded business support programme, not a software product. It operates as a unified service offering multiple interconnected support streams: (1) Growth & Resilience Support for established trading businesses with dedicated advisers and 1-2-1 technical specialist support; (2) Enterprise and Start Up Support for pre-start individuals; (3) Food & Drink Support in partnership with FADNE; (4) Farming Advisory Service via Northumberland National Park Authority. The programme also delivers two distinct grant instruments — the Rural Capital Grant Investment Fund (£10k–£300k for rural capital projects) and the Enterprise and Start Up Grant (up to £2,000 revenue grant for pre-starts and new businesses). Complementary offerings include themed workshops (AI, social media, business confidence), the annual Northumberland Enterprise Festival, women's networking events, the Taste of Northumberland accreditation scheme, and fully funded digital marketing campaigns for tourism businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Growth & Resilience Support Tailored business support for Northumberland-based trading businesses (micro to small enterprises). Each registered business is matched with a dedicated Business Adviser who assesses the business, identifies opportunities, and develops a personalised plan for sustainable growth and resilience. Available to all currently trading businesses in Northumberland.
• Enterprise and Start Up Support Dedicated support for individuals aged 16+ at pre-start stage with a business idea, prototype, or solution ready for commercialisation. Helps aspiring entrepreneurs explore their idea, develop business plans, and take the first steps towards launching a business.
• Food & Drink Support Specialist support for Northumberland's food and drink businesses, delivered in partnership with Food and Drink North East (FADNE). Offers sector-focused expertise, market access, supply chain connections, and resilience-building support for producers, hospitality venues, and retailers.
• Farming Advisory Service Dedicated support for farm enterprises across Northumberland, delivered in partnership with Northumberland National Park Authority. Designed to strengthen farm business resilience, explore diversification opportunities, and enable sustainable growth for agricultural businesses.
• NSBS Rural Capital Grant Investment Fund Capital grant programme providing funding from £10,000 to £300,000 for rural Northumberland businesses with clear growth plans to expand productive capacity or diversify into new markets or products.
• Enterprise and Start Up Grant Revenue grant of up to £2,000 for pre-starts and businesses in their first year of trading, available to individuals aged 16+ to cover costs such as card machines, insurance, and training.
• 1-2-1 Technical Specialist Support 12 hours of one-to-one technical specialist support for micro-small businesses, covering topics including Digital Marketing, Finance, HR and Business Resilience.
• Themed Workshops Calendar of interactive workshops covering essential business topics including AI, social media, business confidence, finance, marketing, and business planning.
• Northumberland Enterprise Festival Annual entrepreneurship festival delivered by NSBS, bringing together aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses for workshops, practical business advice, and networking across multiple Northumberland venues.
• Fully Funded Digital Marketing Campaign Fully funded digital marketing campaign for eligible tourism businesses, delivered by digital agency Far North, worth £1,500 including £930 ad spend and £570 consultancy.
• Hadrian's Wall Design Sprint Design sprint competition challenging businesses to create tourism projects for Hadrian's Wall, with £10,000 prize awarded to the winning entry.
• Taste of Northumberland Accreditation programme in partnership with Food and Drink North East (FADNE) that certifies and promotes locally sourced food and drink in Northumberland, providing a recognised mark of provenance for qualifying businesses.
• Business Directory Online business directory listing Northumberland-based businesses for networking and visibility purposes.
• Northumberland Networking: Women in Business Women's-only networking event series launched as part of International Women's Day 2025, providing a free, inclusive networking space for women running rural businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £6 million in grants provided to rural Northumberland businesses in 3 years
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Northumberland County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Lead Delivery Partner for the North East Rural Growth Programme. NSBS is delivered by Northumberland County Council through its Business Northumberland support team. Provides organisational infrastructure, governance, and local authority connections.
• Food and Drink North East (FADNE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner for the Food & Drink Support programme. Provides specialist sector expertise, networks, and support for Northumberland's food and drink businesses. Also collaborates on the Taste of Northumberland initiative and revamp of the Produced in Northumberland scheme.
• Northumberland National Park AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivery partner for the North East Farm Business Support Service. Provides specialist expertise for farming enterprises across Northumberland, supporting farm business resilience, sustainable growth, and diversification opportunities.
• Advance NorthumberlandcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEconomic regeneration company owned by Northumberland County Council that delivers NSBS on behalf of the council. Provides direct business support services, grant administration, and connects businesses to wider economic development programmes.
• Far North DigitalsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDigital marketing agency partner delivering fully funded digital marketing campaigns for eligible tourism businesses through NSBS. Created £1,500 campaigns (worth £930 ad spend + £570 consultancy) for businesses like Mains Cottages.
• Rural Design CentresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in delivering the Hadrian's Wall Design Sprint 2024 competition, working with NSBS to challenge businesses to develop creative tourism projects for the historic site.
• Durham County CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the North East Rural Growth Programme, supporting rural business development across the region.
• Gateshead CouncilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the North East Rural Growth Programme, supporting rural business development across the region.
• North East Enterprise AgencysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the North East Rural Growth Programme, contributing enterprise development expertise.
• SME Centre of ExcellencesupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExpert workshop provider delivering sessions on networking, pitch writing, and business planning at NSBS Enterprise Festival events.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Business Wales: Welsh Government-funded business support service providing free advice, training, and grant information to Welsh SMEs. Similar free-to-user model backed by devolved government funding.
• Business Gateway (Scotland): National publicly funded business support service in Scotland offering free advice, workshops, and growth support to SMEs. Comparable service model (free, adviser-led, publicly funded) but operates at a national rather than county scale.
• Prince's Trust Enterprise Programme: UK charity providing enterprise support, training, and grants to young entrepreneurs. Comparable in offering pre-start support and small grants to aspiring business owners, though targets under-30s specifically.
• Growth Hub Network (UK): National network of public-private business support hubs delivering free advisory services across English regions. Most directly comparable in the wider UK business support ecosystem, though operating as a network rather than a single programme.

Emerging players

• Start Up Loans (British Business Bank): Government-backed personal loans and mentoring for UK start-ups. Comparable in providing combined finance plus mentoring to early-stage entrepreneurs, though structured as loan finance rather than grants.
• Be the Business: UK not-for-profit helping SMEs improve productivity through peer learning and benchmarking programmes. Overlaps with NSBS in SME productivity and capability-building mission, though operates nationally and is privately funded.

Others

• Northumberland National Park Authority: Delivery partner providing specialist farming support via the North East Farm Business Support Service. Not a direct competitor but a comparable public-sector body delivering rural business advisory services in the same geography.

Direct peers

• Advance Northumberland: Economic regeneration company owned by Northumberland County Council that directly delivers NSBS on behalf of the council. Same parent entity, overlapping beneficiary base, and shared grant administration infrastructure make it the closest comparable.
• North East Combined Authority: Lead authority for the North East Rural Growth Programme and primary funder of NSBS. Comparable in providing regional economic development funding and business support coordination across North East England.
• Food and Drink North East (FADNE): Sector-specific business support organisation delivering the Food & Drink Support programme within NSBS. Comparable in delivering free specialist advisory services to North East food/drink SMEs with grant access.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NLandSmallBusiness
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nlandsmallbusiness
• Instagraminstagram.com/nlandsmallbusiness

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northumberland Small Business Service