Birmingham based business set up free intellectual property & finance advice clinic

Start.biz are offering free Intellectual Property (IP) protection, finance, and general business advice drop-in sessions for businesses in the local area.

After two successful events at West Midlands House in Willenhall and Minerva Mill in Alcester, Start.biz will be rolling out the events in the hopes of reaching more businesses that may be struggling or wanting to grow.

In 2020 Trade Mark applications increased by 27.4 per cent to record levels of 137,035 separate requests according to statistics from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) so protecting your business’ IP has never been more important.

Mitch Willmott, Head of IP at Start.Biz, has over 35 years’ experience in advising businesses on infringement issues, how best to protect what makes them unique and how to turn their reputation into a tangible fiscal asset.

Sarah Deacon, who is in the process of setting up her own business said, ‘I contacted Mitch Willmott at Start.biz recently with a trademark query and to gain some general IP advice. Mitch met with me for a free chat over a coffee to discuss my business and I found it invaluable. He was really easy to talk to and made an absolute novice understand a little more about IP and trade marking.’

Similarly finance and funding for start-ups or growth is notoriously difficult to secure, especially in the current climate with high street banks having little appetite for what they view as ‘risky lending’.

SME’s (small and medium sized companies) accounted for 51.9 per cent of private sector turnover in 2020 and 53.6 per cent of all private sector jobs in the UK however access to finance is the second most cited obstacle that they face.

Matthew Cusack, Co-Director of Start.biz, has 15 years’ experience in raising finance so understands the complexities of the market. Matthew said, ‘There is rarely a “one size fits all” approach to raising finance as every business is different – put us to the task to start exploring your options and find the right solution.’

If you feel your business could benefit from an informal chat over coffee regarding Intellectual Property and brand protection, book in with us on through the below link.