As a recently accredited BCorp, we believe in the power of businesses to transform the world for the better, but to do this, we need ideas and those ideas need a place to take root and grow. We have long encouraged innovation and ideas from individuals and companies that can be turned into a working reality – creating real measurable value.
Turbulent times tend to bring ideas to the fore and the next few years will undoubtedly bring challenges but also opportunities to address new market demand as companies recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ideas are borderless. It doesn’t matter if they originate in the South West of England or anywhere else. That’s why we support businesses to think and act globally, delivering services that help businesses to forge worthwhile connections beyond country borders. We run overseas trade missions and technological visits, provide market intelligence and step by step advice, all in aid of supporting businesses to realise their international ambitions.
For ideas to reach their potential, they also need to be married with processes that turn them into tangible, measurable value. That’s where our innovation support can be so powerful; helping businesses navigate the so called “valley of death” between concept and commercialisation with specialist-led, bespoke growth support.
When Covid-19 struck, we pivoted, moving virtual, running a hugely successful food and drink sector meet the buyer event whereno one was in the same room together but many business deals were made – something inconceivable only a short time before.
We launched a pilot project testing how augmented reality can be utilised in the marine sector to take the place of flying from coastline to coastline showcasing your product and making sales.
This is the future– supporting businesses to successfully trade internationally as easily as they would if their customer was just down the road.
As one of the largest Chambers of Commerce in the UK, we have been immersed for 200 years in this incredible part of the country, whose community is brimming with ideas and has innovation in its DNA.
Companies need to pay attention to their communities of interest AND their communities of place, and Business West helps them do just that. We convene businesses interested in a similar topic, or sector, to connect and catalyse opportunities.
That is how ideas come to fruition and ambitions are realised.
Sometimes the businesses we connect are local to each other because we feel it is also important to think about your impact on where you operate. Our work on our own transition to a just, net zero economyis at the heart of this. We have taken action, recently becoming the first Chamber of Commerce in the UK to be carbon neutral. We have declared our intent to be net zero carbon by 2030 and are encouraging and supporting our members and clients to follow suit.
No business can ignore what their actions do to their people and the planet and net zero carbon is going to be one of the big drivers of innovation. The science is clear: every business must take bold steps now to help save our planet for future generations.
This is what we are most excited about: the opportunity for us to support the ideas that will use the small steps we’ve already put in place – virtual visits, local climate leaders groups, an information portal to help businesses get onto their journey to net zero – and accelerate them into the future we all want, with the best businesses operating in the best place, where entrepreneurs can realise their ambitions to create value of all kinds, in a just and sustainable region.
