Enterprise Nation announces collaboration with O2 Business

Today Enterprise Nation announces a partnership with leading digital communications company O2 to offer support to the nation's entrepreneurs in 2016.

The firms are set to join forces in the New Year to deliver Enterprise Nation TV, a new digital library containing hundreds of exclusive how-to videos delivered by experts and entrepreneurs on the topics that matter most to small business, including how to embrace the digital opportunity in today's economy.

O2 Gurus will offer business advice in vox pop clips on subjects including social media, running a business in the cloud, and the best apps for small business. Clips will be released each day in what will become a searchable library and essential resource for start-ups and growing businesses.

The partnership will also see an initial 20,000 O2 Business customers receive full Enterprise Nation membership which includes access to a comprehensive programme of workshops and hundreds of collaborative events aimed at helping firms to scale up and build profit.

Members will benefit from networking and online support as well as to Enterprise Nation's 13,000-strong marketplace of small business advisers.

Over the course of the year, O2 Business will also be the headline supporter for flagship start-up events including StartUp 2016 in January, which is expected to see thousands attend satellite gatherings across the UK and the Festival of Female Entrepreneurs in October.

Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation said: "This partnership with O2 Business will deliver a well-timed boost to the booming number of British-based companies we're seeing, and bring down the barriers to growing a business.

"Research suggests small firms that get the right kind of advice and support from the get-go are likely to not only be more successful, but also grow sustainably for the long term.

"And yet finding accessible, relevant and affordable enterprise support is still a challenge across Britain. This collaboration will help to change that."

Research from the government's Growth Vouchers programme points to an average increase in turnover of £15,000 per annum for companies that access advice and business support. Enterprise Nation said delivering this upturn for 20,000 O2 Business customers could yield a boost to the economy of £300m per year.

Ben Dowd, business director at O2, said: "At O2 we want our customers to have access to the best products, support and services on the market. So I'm delighted that we're partnering with Enterprise Nation. We see first-hand how the right advice and technology can have a positive impact on small businesses across the country. I'm looking forward to what we'll achieve together."

Already in 2015, Enterprise Nation has added 15,000 to its exploding 75,000-strong membership, delivered more than £8m worth of subsidised support to entrepreneurs, appointed a network of regional champions and opened its own growth hub in Barnsley.

Business customers of O2 will be invited to join Enterprise Nation in January.