I wanted to write to say a sincere 'thank you' to you, the two Davids and BDS. Having worked with you for some time now, BDS never fail to impress me with the level of help and advice you give to not just me, but to the hundreds of small and start-up businesses who come to you. You should know that those of whom I work with praise BDS most highly and reiterate my own feelings.

It is a privilege to be able to speak on your business training courses, as it is always very apparent how BDS manage to enthuse and motivate businessmen and women towards using best practises in their work.

I always recommend BDS to businessesI work with and tell them about the networking group and the events you are involved in, not least of all the Meet The Buyers business show. The opportunities that BDS provide (and the oppertunities that you make us aware of) are nothing short of outstanding-an organisation such as yours is a rare find.

Please pass my thanks on to the two Davids, and sincere thanks to you for all your help.

Your most gratefully

David Mears

I have been using the service of BDS since 2009. I often pop in for advice and have met with adviser David East for an in depth review. Gen Rowell the BDS Asministrator has been particularly helpful and supportive as my business progressed through its first year.

It has been invaluable to me to know that I have their services as a resource for my business. The networking events that BDS clients are involved in organising show the level of support that is provided by them and are a great service for a small business such as mine. I know that I can rely on BDS not only for regular support but in an emergency as well.

I would not hesitate to recommend BDS to any local business, no matter how small or large, old or new.

Yours faithfully

Lisa Smith

BDS has played an important role in the growth and success of Stonewriters. The support it offers is invaluable when starting and running a new business. Meeting regularly as a group we have benefited from learning about effective marketing, how to use and apply the latest IT, accounting and finance, to name but a few of the subjects we have focused on, as well as motivation and inspiration! There has also been the added benefit of the sharing of ideas and local information.

Every new company has its own unique set of problems to solve and as monumental masons we are passionate about maintaining the highest standards of workmanship and customer care. BDS has been important to us in our pursuit of this.

We believe that we have gained real advantage from being involved with BDS and everyone involved in the organisation has been extremely helpful, supportive and reliable. We hope to continue growing as a business with the support of BDS in the foreseeable future.

Sue Pengilley and Nigel Barker

On behalf of Neil and I at Green Cartridges Limited, I would like to thank you, David Brown and David East for the support you have given us.

We first came to you for support and advice in setting up our own business in September 2004. We attended th einitial "Planning your Business Course" which was extremely useful. Over the past 5 years we have needed assistance on legal issues, staff issues and business growth to name a few and you are always there ready to give advice and support in whatever the matter.

You maintain a regular contact with us and actively provide us with information about events relevant to us in the local business community, so thank you for this.

Whenever, Iam asked what advice I would give to a local business I always recommend popping into Corner House and having a chat with Gen.

Long may BDS continue your advice and support is invaluable!

Yours sincerely

 Abbe Coulton

I started my own business a year ago and have found the services offered by BDS Braintree to be incredible useful. The Business Planning Course was particularly relevant and the one-to-one mentor sessions have been invaluable, giving a forum to bounce ideas and gain feedback as well as an action plan for progress before the next meeting. The Braintree area is very lucky to have access to such an excellent service and I would recommend BDS to anyone who is considering setting out on their own.

Karen Carne

I have recently started my business and found out about Business Development Services, Braintree in May this year. I had my first busienss support meeting with David East at the beginning of June and found his assistance incredibly valuable in setting me on the right path and focusing my attention on the enxt steps with my business.

I have also been involved with the BDS network and have attended two, well represented events. The network provides an opportunity for local business people to meet, network and share ideas and expertise. The events are well organised and provide topical input, aimed at helping business owners run their businesses more effectively and efficiently, with the most recent event being a workshop on website optimisation.

BDS make a real impact to start up businesses such as mine and long may it continue.

Yours sincerely

Corinna Frost

I have used the Business Development services for advice and support in setting up my new business over the last 6 months. I have received advice from David East and am in regular contact with Gen Rowell, the BDS Administrator. They have provided regular support and have been flexible in their approach. They have provided a wealth of knowledge and experience, which has given me the confidence to pursue my business venture.

In addition to the regular business support, they have been instrumented in supporting the 'self help' events known as the 'BDS' Network, which have provided further tarining and advice in regards to setting up in business.

BDS provides support which is tailor-made to the individual and would recommend any local business, no matter how small or large and at whatever stage of maturity to use them.

Yours faithfully

Jan Thorne

I am a 41 year old professional woman who has been employed for 20+ years. I live in Great Dunmow and am Mother to a 21 month old. In 2009 I was made redundant whilst on maternity and for a while was unemployed for the first time in my life. I found myself in the invidious position whereby my childcare costs used 60% of the net salary that I could achieve in employment. As I did not want to remain unemployed I decided to research starting-up a business in my area of expertise – marketing and PR.

 I discovered BDS from walking past the Dunmow office where I noticed the ‘sandwich board’. After being led off at a tangent by BusinessLink I booked a meeting with a Business Advisor at BDS in Braintree. I met with David Brown.

The meeting gave me the insight, motivation and high-level information which I needed to start planning my business per se. Mr Brown invited me to join an upcoming seminar/ workshop for business start-ups.

Having a one-to-one private meeting was of paramount importance because I received specialized information from an expert in my field (media and advertising) which, coupled with his local knowledge, was more than sufficient to meet my needs. I was dealt with as an individual and I was not judged or given generic information. I particularly liked the fact that I was not required to complete reams of paperwork or indicate personal information such as my ethnic origin etc etc. In fact, the administrative process was streamlined and professional.

I attended the business start-up seminar. I was part of a group of 13 individuals who, like me, were all serious business people who wanted professional, practical advice. The feedback from my peers was outstanding as the presenters’ knowledge was top class. I have since joined the BDS networking group and meet on a monthly basis with like-minded business people which is an invaluable source of new business for me.

I have only recently launched my business and currently around 70% of my business comes from referrals which I receive through my BDS connections. I am participating in the Meet the Buyer event on 7th July and expect to receive a good number of new client enquiries.

Had I not started my own business I would probably still be unemployed as my area of expertise is specialist and local jobs are hard to find.

If BDS was to cease to exist I would expect most of my new client referrals to disappear. I would not have the opportunity to meet with my peers at the networking group or take part in events such as Meet the Buyer. BDS should provide a long-term service taking clients from business start-up, through to established businesses. Plans to develop more seminars for established businesses would be invaluable to me. Other areas which would be of value would be a business health check service, ongoing mentoring sessions and sessions on finance/staffing/legal issues. I would also make good use of meeting room facilities if they were available. I opine that BDS is understaffed and needs more headcount to meet the needs of its growing client base. BDS is an underused resource because it appears to be under-funded, which is restrictive to both BDS and its clients.

On a personal note I would like to thank Gen Rowell, David Brown and David East for their expert help and advice which has been instrumental in my start-up success.

Sarah R Plummer

Having met the BDS team in May as a shy, unworldly and naïve employee working within the marketing department of a large financial institution, confidence through the knowledge they have provided me with has meant that I have been able to take the plunge and set up my own business. The help and support they have offered me through professional training and one to one consultancy has proved invaluable in ensuring I have the right building blocks in place to run my own company. Adding to this the networking opportunities that they provide, introducing members to like minded business in the local area, means there are plenty of opportunities to grow too.

I am indebted to Gen, the David’s and the rest of the team for the opportunities they have opened up for me and for their patience, dedication and ongoing support. It’s a valuable service that they offer and, don’t forget, one that they provide for free.

If you are thinking of starting your own business in the area or getting involved with a strong networking community, you can help your business by getting in touch with the BDS team.

Michael Morton