It is no secret that Stockport is a haven for independent businesses; the town's character derives from its local eateries and shops, from the Underbanks to Marple Village.

One source of support for owners of such businesses is EnterprisingYou, a Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) initiative which works with self-employed Greater Manchester residents who have earnings of less than £27,000.

EnterprisingYou is a fully funded business support service that offers a mixture of workshops, coaching, health and wellbeing support to self-employed and gig economy workers across the region. It has reportedly added over £12.7m in business revenue to self-employed workers across Greater Manchester. 

Funding derives from the Department for Education, and is completely free for eligible businesses.

Local favourite The Little Sri Lankan is one Stockport business which has made use of the programme.

The Little Sri Lankan is one local business which has benefited from the programme. Co-owners Michael and Malanie are pictured here (Image - The Little Sri Lankan)

"Having someone I can turn to when I encounter a question or doubt about the business operation is good", said Michael, co-owner of the Little Sri Lankan. "Our mentor is always there to provide an answer and insight to us with his knowledge and put us in the right direction."

Read more about The Little Sri Lankan in our exclusive interview HERE.

Yvonne Sampson, head of enterprise at the GC business growth hub, said: "The UK has a proud tradition of self-employed workers. We just want to make sure that tradition continues.

"Many were already struggling, but the pandemic magnified those issues. Programmes like EnterprisingYou offer help and support and are designed in a way that people will eventually be able to stand on their own.

"We're really proud to have helped thousands of self-employed people in Greater Manchester to succeed."

If rolled out Nationally, the programme is projected to add £136.7 million to self-employed business revenues and increase self-employed business profits by at least £50.6 million.

Find out more about EnterprisingYou HERE.

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READ MORE: New burger joint opens in Stockport's Produce Hall

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