The DMA is calling on member organisations and individuals to sign up to the Recovery Advice for Business scheme, which aims to offer thousands of SMEs free advice to help them bounce back from the devastating effect of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Launching in the next few weeks, the scheme is a partnership between industry bodies representing the professional and business services sector and Enterprise Nation; it is supported by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.
Industry bodies are urging experts in their sector to offer one-hour free calls to SMEs who need advice on topics from accounting to advertising, HR and legal affairs.
Enterprise Nation is providing free access to its platform until December 31 2020 to enable SMEs to connect with a community of business advisers volunteering to help them overcome this challenging period.
The sectors which are represented include accountancy, advertising and corporate communications, architecture, engineering consultancy, legal services, management consultancy, and recruitment and HR services.
The other trade and professional bodies which are already encouraging their members to sign up and offer free advice are the Advertising Association, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the Law Society and the Management Consultancies Association.
In a blogpost, DMA public affairs manager Michael Sturrock said: “This crisis has significantly impacted SMEs, and the need for expert business advice has never been more crucial. Small businesses are the backbone of the UK economy. You have an opportunity to support the recovery through offering valuable advice to small businesses at the time they need it most.
“That’s why we need professional experts to volunteer at least one hour per month over the six-month scheme to answer calls from SMEs needing advice. We hope you will join us in the mission to save our small business community.”
For more details on how you can help, visit the DMA website>
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