The West Midland’s annual business spend amounts to billions of pounds, which means there are unlimited opportunities for local organisations.
Thanks to the finditinurbanliving network, opportunities to improve your profits are available right on your doorstep.
What’s finditinurbanliving all about?
finditinurbanliving.co.uk is a groundbreaking, fast-growing online business network developed by Sandwell MBC and Birmingham City Council to increase the amount of business placed locally. It’s FREE.
Does networking through finditinurbanliving work?
Most business people agree that the best source of new business is referrals. finditinurbanliving is a proven generator of strong referrals, and we have many testimonials from local businesses who have won contracts through the project.
finditinurbanliving puts you straight in touch with valuable contacts so you don’t have to spend hours making calls or sitting through presentations and meetings.
Who’s involved in finditinurbanliving?
Thousands of local businesses and organisations from a wide variety of sectors. The website gets an average of 14,000 page views every month.
What are the benefits of finditinurbanliving?
With just a click or two of your mouse, you can ...
* Access £millions-worth of business opportunities
* Pitch for new business
* Showcase your company profile
* Market your USPs (Unique Selling Points)
* Advertise your business/organisation
* Make new contacts
* Learn about new leads
* Sign up for FREE networking events
* Source local, cost-effective materials, products, supplies, services and expertise
* Advertise vacancies
*
Support the local economy.
How do I sign up with finditinurbanliving?
Get your business / organisation involved for FREE by clicking Register Now.
Then how do I market my business on the website?
Once you’ve registered with finditinurbanliving follow the instructions on how to build your free mini-site, giving your business or organisation a presence on the website.
When you fill in your Supply List (what your business offers), think carefully about the keywords people might use when searching for the services you offer. Make the most of your free mini-site by including all of your USPs, linking to your website and uploading your logo, a photo and a PDF brochure.
How do I find business opportunities on finditinurbanliving?
Looking for great business opportunities? Look no further than finditinurbanliving.
If there’s nothing for you today, make sure you forward details to a friend, colleague or business associates – let’s keep business in the West Midlands! And come back tomorrow, because new opportunities are posted all the time.
Why wait any longer? View the business opportunities waiting to be won now.
What if my business feels “too small” to go for tender bids? Can finditinurbanliving help?
We want you to win more business which is why we’re here to help. Working closely with our partners, Business Link West Midlands, we help reduce the barriers faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) when competing for larger contracts within both the public and private sectors.
And you’re not alone in that thinking. Very few small businesses have the full set of resources or skills they need to meet medium or even high-value contract requirements. But collectively they do. That’s why we’re keen to hear from and work with forward-thinking SMEs who want to:
a) win and deliver on forthcoming contracts
b) provide professional business services to others, supporting their contract bids.
How can I find new suppliers on finditinurbanliving?
Sandwell, NW Birmingham and its surrounding areas are blessed with a thriving supply chain. In the West Midlands we are world leaders in engineering and our manufacturing expertise is unrivalled. That’s why finditinurbanliving is proud to showcase the diversity and variety of the high-quality products and services available here.
Every business needs to buy things in order to operate, from landscaping to lightbulbs, water coolers to websites. To link up with a local supplier, visit our Find a Supplier page and simply type in your requirements.
How can I increase my profits with finditinurbanliving?
As you know business owners and people responsible for purchasing are coming under increasing pressure to improve their company’s profits by reducing operational costs.
With access to thousands of local suppliers within the West Midland's diverse and exciting supply chain, finditinurbanliving gives you the chance to benchmark your costs and consider more local sources for cost-effective products and services. It’ll help you reduce your carbon footprint, too.
Want to source something for your business? Simply visit our "Request a Product or Service" page and type in your requirements. Then sit back and wait for local suppliers to contact you with quotations.
How can finditinurbanliving help me reduce my recruitment costs?
Recuiting new staff can cost your business thousands, but it’s free with finditinurbanliving.
finditinurbanliving links into Sandwell MBC and Birmingham City Council’s “Think Local” initiative, which gives free employment advice, free recruitment services and free training, saving your organisation time and money. Simply go to "Find an Employee", fill in the job brief, post your vacancy and one of our recruitment advisors will get in touch.
They will help you to create the job description, advertise your position, job-match the applicants, conduct initial interviews and present you with the three best candidates. What’s more, it’s all completely free.
Where can I access business support on finditinurbanliving?
finditinurbanliving has a dedicated business engagement officer who can provide the support and advice you need to help your business grow.
Through finditinurbanliving you can access information on business grants, research and development funding, business loans, environmental legislation and managed workspaces, or get help to resolve operational issues or relocate within the West Midlands.
Check out our Business Support page today.
How can finditinurbanliving help me meet new contacts?
finditinurbanliving hosts lots of FREE networking events, including a monthly Breakfast Club, “meet the buyer” events, exhibitions, seminars, supplier forums and CPD workshops.
To find out what’s happening in the region’s local business community, take a look at our Events page and sign up for something today.
How can I share my good news with the rest of the community?
With talk of financial woes for 2008, it’s always great to hear about the success of finditinurbanliving-registered companies. The finditinurbanliving News page is a free facility for local organisations to share their news and learn about the latest happenings from in and around the region.
Have you and your business had some good news this month? Maybe you’re launching a new product, have won a lucrative contract, or you’d just like to share something great with the rest of the West Midlands. Have a look at our success stories round-up to see how other businesses have benefited from finditinurbanliving, or email stephen_massey@sandwell.gov.uk with your ideas.
How can I advertise on finditinurbanliving?
Would you like your business advert to appear on a website that gets around 14,000 page views every month? By taking an online banner on finditinurbanliving, you’ll be placing your organisation right in the spotlight of the region's business community. What’s more potential customers will be able to click straight through to your virtual front door: your website.
As well as the banners and buttons on the main pages, you could place a more targeted ad that appears whenever people search finditinurbanliving for particular keywords. To talk about the best prices and positions for your finditinurbanliving ad just call Melanie Bishop on 01384 563050 or email mel@finditinsandwell.co.uk.
Where can I read other businesses’ testimonials on finditinurbanliving?
finditinurbanliving is a valuable online networking tool but you don’t need to take our word for it. The links below give feedback from the local business community.
How can I help finditinurbanliving support the local economy?
The West Midland's annual business spend amounts to billions of pounds, which means there are unlimited opportunities on the doorstep for local organisations.
You can help us grow the finditinurbanliving business network and make the local economy stronger by sourcing the products and services you always buy from closer to home. It's greener, often cheaper, endorses the use of local products and it's great for the local business community.
You can also help us to grow finditinurbanliving by raising awareness of the website. Please forward the below link onto your colleagues, friends and business associates, and encourage them to register today.
How can I contact the finditinurbanliving team?
You can call Steve Massey, Local Procurement Co-ordinator of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, on 0121 569 2105 or Mel Bishop at IceBlue on 01384 563055.
Postal correspondence may be sent to: IceBlue Marketing & Design Ltd,11/12 Hingley Street, Cradley Heath, West Midlands, B64 5LA.
You can email: