Caithness Map :: Links to Site Map Great value Unlimited Broadband from an award winning provider FRI 25TH JUL 2025    3:50:22 PM BST
This site uses cookies, by continuing to use this site you accept the terms of our privacy policy
Back To Top
Caithness.Org Quick Links
Home
Construction
Leisure
Manufacturing
Misc.
Primary
Professional
Public
Retail
Tourism
Transport
Site Map
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Feed 2.0 Loading...

New Businesses Get A Head Start

15th September 2001

People in the far north who are thinking about starting their own business are being given the opportunity to get their venture off to a good start by signing up for a series of courses organised by Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE) under the Network-wide HIE Starts scheme.

HIE Starts in an initiative which helps give new businesses support and financial assistance by providing a regular income over the first 12 months of trading - traditionally the hardest.

To compliment this, CASE is running a range of courses covering essential topics from business planning and book keeping to marketing and effective pricing. The courses begin next month and continue until February 2002.
Any person resident in Caithness and Sutherland can be considered under the HIE Starts scheme whether they are in employment, self-employed or unemployed. Qualifying businesses can also be started on either a full-time, part-time or seasonal basis.

The courses available over the next five months for those contemplating becoming their own boss are:

Introduction to Business - a one-day course on self employment. Is it for you and how do you go about it?

Business Planning Course - a three-day course covering all aspects of business planning from the business idea to marketing or financial planning.

Marketing - a one-day course studying the principles of marketing from market research to promotion.

Pricing for Profit - a one-day course on how to set prices and how to present them.

Financial Record Keeping - a one-day course aimed at providing participants with basic book keeping skills.

CASE has already helped several new businesses to get off the ground using the HIE Starts scheme. Danny and Janice Chretien received assistance to fulfil a long held ambition to run and own a French restaurant. 'Bord de Leau' has been open in Wick since April and already employs four part-time staff. In Helmsdale, Andrew Fairley has established a garden centre where he produces a range of shrubs and plants for sale to the public and local shops.
Commenting on the scheme, CASE business counsellor Ian Thomson said: "We are trying to target people who want to start their own business but are not sure how to go about it. The courses available are designed to help potential new business people discover whether self-employment is for them and if so, provide them with the basic skills required to get a new business off the ground.

"The financial assistance available under the HIE Starts scheme is of tremendous value for the first year of trading but support from CASE business counsellors and access to the type of courses on offer will give new businesses the best possible start."

For more information on HIE Starts contact Ian Thomson at CASE's Thurso office on tel: 01847 805229 or George Munro in the Golspie office on tel: 01408 633872.

 

Related Businesses

 

Related Articles

HIE holding drop-ins for Wick Business Park expansion plansThumbnail for article : HIE holding drop-ins for Wick Business Park expansion plans
People in the Wick area of Caithness are being invited to share their views on proposals to expand Wick Business Park.   Following the successful development of phase one, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is planning a second phase of development on land next to the existing business park.  
Salmon farm company to convert waste to useable product
A project to recycle waste at an aquaculture hatchery in Wester Ross has secured up to £630,290 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).   Bakkafrost Scotland limited is leading the project, which has a total investment value of more than £2.5m.  
Renewable energy firm ENERCON welcomed to Wick Business Park
Wick Business Park has welcomed wind energy technology company ENERCON as the first occupant of one of four new units completed last year.   ENERCON specialises in designing, producing, installing and servicing onshore wind turbines and has been operating in the Caithness area since 2013.  
New recruits at HIE Caithness and Sutherland teamThumbnail for article : New recruits at HIE Caithness and Sutherland team
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has appointed new members to its Caithness and Sutherland team as the agency settles into its new premises and works to expand its client portfolio.   Claire Wilson has joined as head of business growth and investment.  
Applications open for the 2025/26 Scottish Rural Leadership Programme
Businesses in the Highlands and Islands are invited to apply to the 2025/26 Scottish Rural Leadership Programme.   The initiative is designed to empower rural business owners and senior leaders across Scotland with the skills, confidence and strategic insight needed to drive innovation and growth in their communities.  
Recruitment under way for next Chair of Highlands and Islands EnterpriseThumbnail for article : Recruitment under way for next Chair of Highlands and Islands Enterprise
The Scottish Government has begun recruitment to appoint a new Chair for the Board of development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).   Applications are currently being invited through the government's public appointments website with a closing date of 7 July 2025.  
Renewable energy training centre officially opened in InvernessThumbnail for article : Renewable energy training centre officially opened in Inverness
Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, has officially opened Aurora's pioneering Renewable Energy Training Centre in Inverness - the only facility of its kind serving the Highlands.   The £1.2m training centre has already demonstrated its importance to Scotland's net-zero ambitions, training to more than 1,000 people in its first year and gearing up to train more than 2,000 workers annually who will be central to the country's renewable energy future.  
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will invest up to £24 million at Kishorn Port
A multi-million pound investment is being made in one of Scotland's most strategically important ports.   Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will invest up to £24 million at Kishorn Port in the west Highlands to enhance its capacity and capabilities, with an expanded dry dock and land reclamation enabling the manufacture of floating offshore wind foundations.  
Commercial diver training company in Argyll to scope expansionThumbnail for article : Commercial diver training company in Argyll to scope expansion
A commercial diver training company in Argyll is exploring the potential to expand the business to include closed bell diver training.   Dunoon based Professional Diving Academy (PDA) has secured £5,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to help cover associated market assessment consultancy costs.  
New green training skills facilities open in Stornoway - Fosgladh Goireasan Trèanaidh Sgilean Uaine ann an SteòrnabhaghThumbnail for article : New green training skills facilities open in Stornoway - Fosgladh Goireasan Trèanaidh Sgilean Uaine ann an Steòrnabhagh
The new, state-of-the-art Technology and Innovation Centre at UHI North, West and Hebrides' Stornoway campus officially opened following a £2.3m investment.   It is the first capital project to be delivered under the Islands Growth Deal, a ten-year package that seeks to drive economic growth and the creation of sustainable jobs across Shetland, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides.