Team Barrow has partnered with Be the Business to launch an online support directory designed to help local SMEs and entrepreneurs.
The ‘Barrow Business Directory’, which can be found on the barrowrising.uk website, is a centralised online platform designed to help businesses navigate and access the wide range of support available to them.
Thanks to significant Government investment and the UK’s long-term commitment to its submarine programmes, Barrow is entering a period of major transformation. Led by the Team Barrow partnership, the town needs to continue supporting the delivery of critical national defence programmes, while diversifying and boosting its economy.
For the community, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform lives and livelihoods, and that includes supporting local businesses.
Peter Anstiss, the Chief Executive Officer at Team Barrow, said: “These are exciting times for Barrow, as the town enters a decade of significant economic transformation. While numerous organisations are dedicated to supporting local business leaders through this change, the feedback we have is that the existing infrastructure can often appear complex and unclear.
“To demystify the support landscape, we are launching the Barrow Business Directory. This new, centralised digital resource is designed to clearly highlight and simplify access to all available local and national support services.”
The directory is equipped with search functionality, allowing business leaders to filter the support they need by type—such as finance providers, networking groups, or general business advice—ensuring they are instantly connected with the most relevant resources to drive their growth and resilience.
Be the Business is a UK-based not-for-profit organisation dedicated to working with small and medium-sized businesses in their local communities, to boost their productivity and performance.
It offers practical resources, expert-led programmes, peer-to-peer learning opportunities and access to talent that produce real impact. Across a sample of 2,600 businesses it has worked with, sales have increased by £2.1bn and productivity has gone up by £915m.
Anthony Impey, the Chief Executive Officer at Be the Business, said: “When local businesses thrive, whole communities do too. In Barrow, that spirit of collaboration is everywhere - we’ve had the privilege to work alongside brilliant local entrepreneurs and business leaders, together with community champions and business support partners who are all pulling in the same direction to make the town an even better place to live, work and do business.
“The new Barrow Business Directory will build on these foundations by helping business leaders find the best support and resources that can unleash their full potential and play a big part in the transformation of Barrow over the next decade.”
The directory was launched at an event in Barrow, which was attended by more 80 local business representatives, as well as the MP for Barrow and Furness, Michelle Scrogham. It also featured a number of local business success stories, which have been captured in a series of uplifting and informative case studies. These are also available to view alongside the directory.