Despite government promises and plans for the future, let’s face it – very few business owners see s much benefit in seeking government help. I certainly assumed it would be shrouded in red tape and ultimately a fruitless exercise – how wrong could I be…
With Kyoto a regular client and a trip planned to visit we decided to invest time in growing our Japanese business – but how? What would be the best way to progress? Our executive director, Helen took these questions to a recent UKTI event and came away with some surprisingly positive results.
Firstly it was suggested that as was to be new business elements to the trip we apply for a grant to help with travel expenses. Not only was the form relatively simple to complete, we had a positive response in less the 48 hours.
Secondly we were offered UKTI’s OMIS service, essentially a research process where they took the time to understand our business before making introductions on our behalf. The result was three new business meetings – sure they might take time to gestate, if at all – but certainly a lot better than we would have managed on our own.
It is a paid service so the cost has to be weighed up against the return but I certainly believe it was worth the effort. Go on, try it out for yourself…
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