Our members represent a variety of organisations connected to the enterprise support sector, all based in the UK and with one thing in common – they are all passionate about encouraging enterprise.
Initially, our members were drawn solely from traditional enterprise agencies – those that provided independent and impartial advice, training and mentoring to new and emerging businesses. As the enterprise support sector has developed, so has our membership base and we are proud to now also represent Chambers of Commerce, local authorities, other specialist enterprise providers, universities and corporate organisations across England.
View our member directory
Research shows that those who seek support in the setting up and running of their businesses are more likely to survive and thrive. On this basis, there’s no question of the positive, economic impact resulting from the free or low cost support, training and advice offered by our members.
NEN members routinely offer their clients 3 types of support:
- Advice – from nearly 1,000 employees or volunteers
- Space – access to 861,110 square feet of managed workspace
- Finance – from a loan book worth £57,861,996
We are very proud of the impact that our members are making on the economy. Thanks to data collected from our members on an annual basis, we are able to quantify this impact and tell a strong story of the direct effect our members make on our economy.
Between 2017-2020 our members…
- Helped launch 6,384 new businesses
- Helped create 10,605 new jobs
We are proud of how many clients our members reach through their business support services. Ensuring no sections of society are excluded is a challenge we all face. But, our members show good progress in supporting people from a range of social, cultural, geographic and demographic backgrounds.
Between 2017-2020 our members supported 45,805 clients
Of these clients…
- 39% had previously been unemployed
- 51% were female
- 18% were from an ethnic background
- 19% were based in rural areas
- 22% were aged 50+
What impact has Covid-19 had on our members’ businesses and their clients?
At the end of 2020, our usual Annual Conference and Awards event took place digitally, in light of the on-going Covid-19 pandemic. At this event, we shared this short video, showcasing the impact of the pandemic on both the businesses of our members and the clients they support.
Loading…
Portobello Business Centre has been a member of the NEN since the start – we’ve always found strength and support from the membership whenever we’ve asked for it.
Without NEN we would really feel alone. NEN makes us feel part of something much wider than just us in Scarborough. It links us with other organisations with the same ethos and goals, but ones that also face the same challenges. Together we are stronger.
NEN provides a great platform for networking and sharing experiences with other enterprise agencies and business support providers. It also helps in raising the business support sector’s profile and position with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and senior government decision makers – all of which helps us to continue to help start-ups and small businesses.
At first, we weren’t convinced that we would get good value for money from being NEN Associates but we have been proved wrong. We have built some great relationships with other members and last years conference, and CEO round table, were worth the membership fee alone.
NEN offers us opportunities that we cannot get elsewhere, and this enables us to offer enhanced support to our clients. It’s great to be part of a network that offers so much and to see how us and other enterprise agencies are making such an impact is fantastic.
The strategic added value of being a NEN member and supporter is significantly important to Menta for three reasons. Firstly, it enables us to be nationally recognised. Secondly, it gives us the BEIS accreditation and quality standard. And thirdly, it gives us the opportunity to work with like-minded CEOs from across the country to share ideas and best practice.
AES has been a member of NEN for a number of years and we really feel like it is one big family. If we have a problem or an issue we can rely on the support of NEN to help us out. The NEN team work really hard to make sure our sector is recognised by government and other organisations that influence policy on business support.
Being a member of NEN not only validates our work in building and fostering enterprise, but connects us with likeminded organisations where we can collaborate and influence the sector.
<
>
Navigation
<
>