Links & Resources

"As a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information."

Benjamin Disraeli

We've tried to make sure we weren't guilty of providing too many distractions to your working day, but we thought we'd put this section in so that when you do, at least it may, hopefully, prove to be a little bit useful.

You'll find information on procurement sites for public sector contracts as well as some sites for training and others you may find useful for research.

We've listed various networking groups etc that you may want to consider, some will cost to join, but then, if that brings business it's worthwhile doing. The links for seminars won't all be local and might cost a bit more, however, if spending £100+ brings in a decent contract then that's worth doing too!

Training :

Google's Digital Garage: Providing FREE courses on everything from search to social media, they're based at Central Library in Newcastle, it launched on April 22nd and will be available for 3 months, it's an ideal opportunity to help you grow your business. Find out more and register https://digitalgarage.withgoogle.com/

Useful Links : Procurement & Tender Organisations

Buy Sunderland First - a system for goods and services to encourage more local businesses receive the opportunity to bid for council work under the tender threshold (£172,000).Please follow the link to register (Free)

CompeteFor - is a free service that enables businesses to compete for contract opportunities linked to HS2 as well as other major public and private sector buying organisations.

Supply National SME Engagement Programme has been set up for start-up and small businesses to provide FREE insight into the public sector procurement process. Part of BiP Solutions free to register
follow the link for more details

North East Purchasing Organisation - purchasing and contracting consortium consisting of 12 full member local authorities and 13 associate members. For more information please follow the link free to register

in-tend - Tender system operated by the University of Sheffield. There is an annual fee. Listings of tenders in education and local government sectors. However, has a useful Free section called "Suppliers Manual" to learn about all aspects of procurement

Useful Information :

B etter Business Finance: Supported by the British Bankers Association and the major banks, the BBTaskforce aims to do more to help British business achieve sustainable growth and "add further momentum to existing initiatives to improve banks’ relationships with business, ensure better access to finance and promote understanding of the needs of business customers". You will find some useful links and information on here and please keep any business organisations in your area, like the FSB, up to date on how you get on so that they will be able to help ensure the banks are listening to their business customers.

Bank of England : OK, so the Governor isn't on Twitter and they don't have a Facebook page - but they are on YouTube (honest) See you're itching to click the link already! It'll not be the lightest of reading but it will be more interesting than you thought.Follow the main link for things like the history of The Bank, contact details etc

For publications like "MPC Minutes", "Inflation Report", "Trends in Lending" and other catchy titles click here

Want to find out about The Bank's monetary policy, click here

International Journal of Central Banking - If you liked the one above, or you're thinking about doing Business Studies or Economics at Uni then, just maybe, this one's for you.

HM Treasury - Keep an eye on the latest developments on the Government view of economic growth, public spending etc

HMRC - The business equivalent of a visit to the dentist, rarely popular but something necessary

BIS - find out what the main policy areas are and how they relate to your own business

They Work For You - Find out how your local MP votes on business issues or what's been debated. The site provides links to Hansard speeches as well as written answers and is organised by date, topic or MP.

European Parliament - This link will take you to their news headlines page, which is probably as good a place as any to start.

European Small Business Portal - This portal gathers together all the information provided by the EU on and for SMEs, ranging from practical advice to policy issues, from local contact points to networking links.

EU SME Centre - Free, hands-on business support to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from the European Union, facilitating their access to the Chinese market.

The OBR - The OBR was formed in May 2010 to independently assess the public finances and the economy for the Budget and Pre-Budget Report, follow the link for more details

The British Library : They have a number of events, but you'll need to travel to London for them, however they do have lots of resources that should be useful, they have a group on Linkedin too. Follow the link to their Business and IP Centre homepage for more information

The Carbon Trust : The Carbon Trust is a not-for-profit company with the mission to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy.This link will take you through to Carbon Trust Enterprises which aims to create valuable new low carbon businesses. It specialises in carrying venture concepts through each stage of the commercialisation process.

North East Access to Finance - Accessing the right funding to help your business grow can be difficult. Their aim is to make it easier for business owners and finance directors to navigate their way to a solution that appeals to them, by providing information on the comprehensive range of support on offer for businesses and start ups in the North East. Advice on various types of finance including "Business Angels", events and workshops. Please follow the link for more information.

Institute of Enterprise & Entrepreneurs - Whether you need to find a business mentor, or would like to be involved as one, this is probably a good place to start. The IOEE exists to make sure that all those involved in enterprise are able to access the support they need, when they need it. All of work is informed by research into what other entrepreneurs do and have done in order to be successful. It’s about small business owners helping each other - a professional institution for entrepreneurs.

National Apprenticeship Service - Information on apprenticeships, including the types available.

Local Council Providers: Gateshead

Other (Miscellaneous):

Other links and resources you may find useful - please click on the links and full details

Toastmasters International: If presentations or seminars are part of your job, or you just want to gain more confidence for public speaking, you may find this link useful - it takes you to the Newcastle website rather than the main home page.

Non UK Tax & Accounting:

US Tax Department: This link will take you to the business pages rather than the general home page.

Clients in the USA? Help and advice on US Tax issues (fee based).

Travel:

Trains & Buses: A local company offering competitive prices on UK train and coach tickets - and ferries too.

Flying to London or SE UK? Book a taxi at Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted or Southampton Airports. (FSB Member)

Networking :

Please click on the relevant logo for the link

Come and See : Networking, Seminars, Events etc

Online : No need to worry about the weather or the car parking

Seminars etc :

The above links are provided for information purposes only and should not be taken as endorsements

All links are provided for information ONLY, Tian Da Marketing is not responsible for the content of third party sites

If you know of any other business related please contact us .

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