Help to Grow – Digital Scheme for Norfolk Businesses

The government’s Help to Grow: Digital scheme – designed to support smaller businesses in adopting digital technologies so they can grow – opened on the 20th January.

Eligible businesses can apply to receive discounts of up to £5,000 off the retail price of approved Digital Accounting and CRM software from leading technology suppliers.

The scheme also allows businesses access specialised support and advice on how to choose the right digital technologies to boost their growth and productivity through a new online platform.

To qualify for the financial discount through Help to Grow: Digital, businesses can be from any business sector, but must meet all 4 of the following criteria:

• Be a business based in the United Kingdom registered with Companies House or be a registered society on the Financial Conduct Authorities Mutuals Register
• Be employing between 5 and 249 people.
• Have been actively trading for over 12 months, and have an incorporation date of at least 365 days prior to application
• Be purchasing the approved software for the first time

Eligible businesses will receive one financial discount towards the purchase of one approved software product up to a maximum of £5,000 (not including VAT) in Customer Relationship Management and Digital Accounting software product categories

The financial discount covers 12 months’ worth of approved software product core costs, exclusive of VAT

How does this fit with Go Digital?

Go Digital offers more direct, 1 to 1 support. Each business in Go Digital has an advisor who personally audits their business and creates a tailored action plan. The new ‘Help to Grow: Digital’ scheme offers generic advice through an online portal.

Go Digital vouchers are extremely flexible and can be used for anything linking to a businesses action plan. This allows for businesses to focus on different digital elements of their business, not just accounting and CRM software offered in the new government scheme.

The new government scheme is limited to certain software from certain providers which limits what businesses can spend the grant on. Go Digital allows businesses to choose their own suppliers, offering flexibility and the ability to choose the right supplier for their business.

Go Digital is open to sole traders whereas the new government scheme limits the grant to businesses with 5-249 employees. This means Go Digital can offer advice and grants to micro-businesses within Norfolk.