Book your place for February’s small business surgery at Jubilee Library

The council’s small business ambassador, Councillor Mohammed Asaduzzaman, will host his next surgery at the Business & IP Centre (BIPC) at Jubilee Library on 17 February.

The sessions, which must be booked in advance, will run from 3pm to 5pm with slots available to book through Eventbrite.

Due to the high demand for places at previous surgeries, please only book a slot if you are sure you will be able to attend.

Councillor Asaduzzaman’s bi-monthly surgeries aim to help build a strong dialogue with business owners and entrepreneurs.

Exploring opportunities

The surgeries are already proving to be successful, with small business owners and entrepreneurs benefiting from meeting Councillor Asaduzzaman and exploring opportunities for their business, building on the work of the Business & Intellectual Property Centre (BIPC) and the Growth Hub digital service.

They include:

  • Working collaboratively with retailers to promote specific areas of the city
  • A life coach offered advice and guidance including links to existing business support networks to develop and grow a new business.
  • A catering business supported with start-up advice on key steps, following Cllr Asaduzzaman’s own experience of starting and running a successful restaurant business.

Creativity and community values

Councillor Asaduzzaman said: “As someone who has served this city both as a civic leader and now as small business ambassador, I’ve had the privilege of working directly with the people who power our communities.

“Brighton & Hove is known for its independence, creativity and community values. That spirit starts with our small businesses and it’s our responsibility to ensure they have a voice in shaping our city’s future. The council has already shown through our innovative ShopLocal campaign that our small businesses are vital to our future.

“As the region moves towards devolution, we want to make sure our independent businesses can harness the potential benefits.”

Councillor Asaduzzaman’s role builds on the council’s existing support for city businesses, with the surgeries playing an important role in bringing businesses together and enhancing engagement.

Last year the council launched a ShopLocal campaign as part of its commitment to support small businesses and boost the local economy.

The campaign is part of a package of initiatives designed to ensure Brighton & Hove’s independent sector continues to thrive.

They include:

The Business & Intellectual Property Centre (BIPC) - based in Jubilee Library, and offering free events, workshops and networking opportunities; one-to-one sessions with business experts and access to business databases and information

Small business surgeries - free bi-monthly one-to-one sessions with the council’s small business ambassador Cllr Mohammed Asaduzzaman. The next surgery will be held on 17 February at Jubilee Library with slots to book through Eventbrite.

Brighton & Hove Growth Hub - a digital service focused on scaling up city businesses and supporting them to grow, with free events, direct links with the council’s Economic Development team and access to expert advice in scaling and growing business.

In addition, the UK Government has launched the Business Growth Service (BGS) set up to support people starting a business; running and growing a business; selling overseas from the UK and investing and expanding in the UK.

A more detailed leaflet on other organisations offering business support and useful contacts, is also available to download. 

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