In this issue’s My Working Day feature we chat to Business Durhams’s business engagement officer (East), Michelle Mann, who tells us more about her role with the organisation, the recently expanded Durham Business Growth Fund, and how she’ll be supporting East Durham Business Network…
Tell us more about your role with Business Durham?
My role includes helping businesses to start and grow by effectively engaging with them and directing and connecting them with useful resources to help them move to the next step in their journey.
Some of my main areas of focus are building relationships with local companies and organisations and helping them overcome barriers to growth, solve problems and find opportunities; providing guidance on funding and growth strategies and programmes, and organising networking events for businesses to meet and collaborate.
I also liaise with stakeholders such as the council, business support organisations and communities to help drive business success and promote and encourage business investment to boost the local economy.
Principally, my role is to make sure businesses get the support they need to start, grow, innovate and thrive.
Helping businesses to grow is something you’re very passionate about, isn’t it?
Very much so. Supporting businesses in their journey whether they are start-ups finding their way or established companies looking to innovate and diversify is at the heart of what I do. I love to share insights, offer guidance and direct businesses to opportunities and useful resources which help them achieve their growth aspirations. Business growth drives economies, creates opportunities and sparks creativity and innovation and it’s exciting being part of that.
You’ve got a key role in East Durham Business Network. Tell us a bit about that and why networks are so important for our business communities?
Yes. I have recently become more involved in the East Durham Business Network, working alongside my Business Durham colleague Guy Bashford, and Ranj Gill, Gursh Kahlon and Leanne Fawcett.
Business networks provide opportunity for companies to connect, collaborate, find partnerships, share insights and best practice and to support each other. They also encourage innovation by fostering the exchange of fresh ideas, knowledge and solutions.
Strong business networks can strengthen local economies by attracting investment, creating jobs and building resilient business communities. The whole community benefits when businesses support each other.
You’re heavily involved in the Durham Business Growth Programme. Tell us more about that?
I work as part of the Business Engagement Team at Business Durham and over the past 18 months or so we have been working extremely hard delivering on the Durham Business Growth Programme.
The programme is designed to help businesses in County Durham unlock their full potential and overcome barriers to growth. It’s a fully funded programme aimed at supporting business expansion and boosting productivity.
Business Durham partners with UMi and RTC North to deliver a tailor-made package of support dependent on the individual needs of the business. Elements of the support include Extended Productivity Reviews, Digital Health Checks, Energy Efficiency Audits, Capital and Revenue grants and there will also be a schedule of events and workshops that provide training and upskilling as well as further networking opportunities.
It has been a very busy but rewarding time working on a very popular programme of support which is now being continued through till end of March 2026.
What advice would you give to a business that is thinking about growing.
Growing a business is both an exciting and challenging journey.
Some key things to consider when planning for growth are:
Know your market by keeping an eye on industry trends, research demand, understand your customers and stay abreast of competitor movement.
Strengthen your brand by ensuring you stand out and have a clear identity.
Grow your networks and connections.
Embrace innovation by exploring fresh ideas.
Improve and maximise the efficiencies within the operation. Streamline processes and invest in systems that boost productivity.
Explore options of funding to assist growth.
Invest in developing a strong and motivated team.
Consider contingencies / Plan B.
What do you like most about your job?
That’s an easy question. I love getting out there and meeting and helping people and their businesses. It’s really nice to be invited into an organisation and see how things work and to get a real feel for what’s going well and what the challenges are that they are facing. Often, they aren’t aware of readily available support that’s there for them to access and it’s a great feeling to be able to promote this, see how this makes a difference and to build an ongoing relationship with them.
Away from work, how do you unwind?
I go to the gym regularly to try and stay healthy both physically and mentally. Sometimes, it’s as struggle getting out of bed early to get to the morning classes but the feeling afterwards is awesome and it sets me up for the day.
For a bit of escapism and wishful thinking I enjoy watching homes abroad programmes with my partner Colin and our much loved cat Bella.
