A marketing academy for entrepreneurs is preparing for growth thanks to funding from the Community Investment Enterprise Fund (CIEF) delivered by BCRS Business Loans.
Touchpoints Marketing has received £30,000 to invest in expanding the business, including moving staff from part time to full time roles and securing key trademarks to protect the company’s intellectual property.
Registered as a limited company in 2021 by experienced marketer Vic Taylor, the training provider specialises in the delivery of online and face to face marketing educational courses and programmes for students, graduates and business owners.
Working with a range of customers from leading UK universities to business groups, Touchpoints Marketing, which is based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, will utilise the funds as it builds a new portfolio of training programmes, including enabling two part time employees to go full time.
The finance has also been used to promote the company at business fairs, purchase laptops for staff, invest in the launch of the company’s first book, maintain cashflow while they await payment from institutional clients and to secure trademark registrations for key offerings.
Vic Taylor, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing who draws upon 25 years of experience, said:
“Securing the finance from BCRS Business Loans has enabled us to put in place the changes we need to grow as a company, delivering marketing training which will enable the next generation of entrepreneurs to build businesses which have a positive impact on their communities.
“There is large demand from people who want to start and grow their own business and need to understand how they market their offering, which is where Touchpoints Marketing can teach them the tools they need to grow.
“BCRS have a very personal approach to lending. I had a main point of contact throughout the process, and they took the time to find out what we were doing with the finance.”
Mark Savill, Business Development Manager at Wolverhampton-based BCRS Business Loans, said:
“BCRS is a story-based lender, and we support businesses to make a positive social and economic impact. We look forward to seeing Vic and her team progress to the next level in their growth plans while enabling new entrepreneurs to create employment opportunities not only for themselves but for others, benefitting the wider economy.”
Funded by Lloyds along with social impact investor Better Society Capital (BSC) and managed by responsible finance provider Social Investment Scotland (SIS) with contributions from the three participating CDFIs, BCRS Business Loans, Business Enterprise Fund and Finance for Enterprise, the £62m CIEF aims to invest in 800 small businesses nationally and support 10,500 jobs.
Through CIEF, BCRS Business Loans delivers loans between £25,000 and £250,000 to SMEs across the Midlands and Wales to SMEs who are unable to access the finance they need from traditional sources.
Alastair Davis, CEO at Social Investment Scotland, said:
“The CIEF plays an important role in fostering growth and creating opportunities within our communities by widening access to finance to support small businesses. With this backing, Touchpoints Marketing will be able to grow the business and its team while supporting entrepreneurship successes in the wider economy.”
Recently, BCRS Business Loans celebrated reaching £5m in CIEF loans delivered to 62 businesses, creating 160 jobs and protecting a further 613 while generating £32.5m in economic impact.
BCRS Business Loans was recently appointed as a fund manager for the small funds pot of the first £130m Investment Fund for Wales and for the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, which will deliver a £400m commitment of new funding for businesses across the Midlands.
Since BCRS Business Loans was founded in 2002, it has provided loans worth more than £95m to businesses. BCRS Business Loans has achieved one of its best years ever for delivering funds, providing £9,900,502 to 124 businesses during the 2024-25 financial year, a 68% increase in the number of SMEs supported compared to the previous year.
In the last financial year, lending through BCRS Business Loans resulted in the safeguarding of 889 jobs and creation of 317 roles while adding £51.2m to the economy of the West Midlands, surrounding region and Wales. Of the funding, 34.6 per cent went to the UK’s most disadvantaged areas.
