Aside from product development, marketing, and human resources, location is one of the key factors that you’ll need to plan out when finally bringing your start-up idea into the light. In the UK, towns and cities jostle for the attention of young innovators – hoping to draw them into the business property market within their area. Successful start-ups can be a huge boon to local economies and drive myriad changes in post-industrial landscapes that have lacked investment in the last 50 years.
Choosing a location
Of course, when you are looking for a location for your business, there will be a few obvious choices that stand out immediately. Big cities like London or Manchester are attractive to start-up owners because of their proximity to financial centers, networking opportunities, and potential talent. Big cities do, however, have some major drawbacks for emerging businesses. Firstly, the rent is extremely high. Depending on the size and operational needs of your start-up, you’ll be needing to rent a large premises and might require it to be kitted out with specialist equipment. In a city like London, you’ll find that this is going to be prohibitively expensive unless you retreat into the distant outskirts. Secondly, there is a huge amount of competition for government help in big cities. Because the market is so crowded, grants and loans can only be offered to a select few businesses amongst the jostling horde.
With all this in mind then, it is no surprise that many start-ups are finding their home in smaller towns. As Emma McGowan pointed out on Startups.co, “the next big thing is small towns”. One small town in the UK proving popular with business owners is the Sussex resort of Eastbourne. There are some pretty compelling arguments for setting up your business in this former holiday resort, lapped by the waves of the English Channel. Here are a few of them:
There Is Plenty Of Support
Eastbourne’s fast-growing economy has been helped along the way by direct action from the local borough council. Determined to grow the town both in status and size, the council has offered generous loans and grants to companies wishing to locate themselves within the town.
Eastbourne also has a well-developed network of business people and owners. The Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce is the largest in the South East with over 600 Members. Business owners regularly network and collaborate with help from the chamber. The infrastructure for collaboration and funding is top class, far outstripping what you would expect from a town of Eastbourne’s size.
It Is Situated Perfectly
Eastbourne is located wonderfully for doing business in the South East and Central areas of the country. It has great transport links with London and Brighton, two large markets for consumer items, and top spaces for networking and collaboration.
Eastbourne is also well located for doing business with France. It is very close to the Newhaven ferry port, Shoreham Harbor, and relatively close to Ashford International train station. This makes it a prime spot to attract a much wider audience.
It Has Business Infrastructure
Starting a business requires good business infrastructure contacts. You’ll need reliable legal advice, accountancy help, and recruitment avenues. Luckily, Eastbourne has all three of these things in abundance. New business infrastructure is being established in the growing town all the time, and established firms like Plummer Parsons accountants have offered businesses great service in the town for over 100 years. You can take advantage of experienced accountants like this to get your business off the ground and ensure that you can manage payroll well as you grow and bring on employees.
Many prospective business owners presume that moving away from the big cities will hinder their ability to recruit well, but that simply isn’t true anymore. Eastbourne has a growing metropolitan population drawn to the town partially because of it’s great transport links and cheap (ish) rent. From a recruitment perspective, it is fertile ground!
It Is A Growing Economy
Although we now know that it is impossible to take any economic growth for granted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is worth noting that Eastbourne has been expanding its economy at a remarkably fast rate in comparison to other towns in the South East. It weathered the financial crisis of 2008 extremely well and kept growing steadily up until the pandemic hit. This was partially due to the sheer variety of its economic talismans. It also has a great deal to do with the swift population growth that the town has been experiencing. Population growth – largely made up of people moving from nearby Brighton and London – has contributed towards a flourishing consumer market in the town and a glut of innovators setting up their bases.
