NEWS
Strand PR throws support behind Herts entrepreneurs
February 2022
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Strand PR has signed up to back the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce’s (HCoC) Entrepreneur Foundation, a programme dedicated to helping passionate entrepreneurs take their ideas from concept to reality.
The Entrepreneur Foundation, now in its third year, was introduced by the Chamber to nurture and grow a new network of enterprising individuals seeking to create successful businesses throughout the county.
Strand PR’s involvement is a vital contribution to the 360-degree approach these entrepreneurs need to prepare them for scaling and running a successful enterprise
– Herts Chamber CEO Briege Leahy
Contact us nowThose selected for the Foundation will receive two years of guidance, training and support from both the programme’s Founders and Supporters.
“As an organisation that has spent the past two years championing entrepreneurialism and business throughout a pandemic, Strand PR has seen first-hand the complexities of taking an idea from whiteboard to board room,” said Laura Pearce, Founder of Strand PR.
“This year we want to play our part in assisting individuals who made the decision to take an idea realised in the midst of a pandemic and push it through to fruition.”
Strand PR will host a number of Chamber-backed workshops throughout the programme’s lifecycle on sessions including strategic planning, digital marketing and public relations. These will build on events and resources already provided by the Chamber to benefit budding entrepreneurs.
Herts Chamber CEO Briege Leahy said the focus moves to scale and investment as the entrepreneurs enter the second year of the Foundation, with many pivoting their business model to embrace new opportunities in alternative markets.
“We will be supporting them with one-to-one mentoring to help them create and refine pitch slide decks. They each have the opportunity to present in a salon prive in front of our founders who critique and suggest valuable contacts to help them on the next stage of their business. We invite them back to repeat so they are pitch-perfect.”
The programme has been very successful, leading to investments of more than £1.5 million.
“Strand PR’s involvement is a vital contribution to the 360-degree approach these entrepreneurs need to prepare them for scaling and running a successful enterprise,” continued Leahy.
“Marketing and PR are so important in this digital age and Strand PR runs excellent workshops to tease out their USP and find innovative ways to promote this to their customer base to increase awareness and attract new business.”
The two-year Entrepreneur Foundation complements other Chamber initiatives designed to promote business growth and collaboration between members. These include the Chamber’s Sector Summits, the Let’s Keep the Heart in Hertfordshire Campaign, and the Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards, which is returning for its 10th year in June.
