Small capital grant was worth "more than just the money" to Ravi

Setting up, and then trying to grow, a small business is a pretty stressful process.

At such a time, all support is welcome - and when Ravi Saigal expanded his business, Optical People, into Warwickshire, the support he received from Warwickshire County Council was appreciated beyond the finance fillip it brought.

The small capital grant of £35,000 went towards the major investment in fitting out Optical People's new optician and frame studio in Market Place, Nuneaton, and that was important in itself. But the grant also gave Ravi a lift in morale as he tackled the many complexities of finding a location in Warwickshire to add to his thriving outlet in Sapcote, Leicestershire.

"It is tough going for any small business setting up, especially in the early stages," Ravi said. "And we are operating in a particularly competitive market place so when you are working 14 hours a day in that sort of environment it can be hard to stay positive and, just as important, healthy. So the county council grant was worth more than just the money.

"It was great to know we had that little bit of support towards the big project we were undertaking. It sounds strange but psychologically it gave me a real lift. Most of the grant money went into fitting the new shop but I looked at it as though we were having the rates paid for a year."

Ravi spoke to Business Ready advisor Alex Toft, based at the University of Warwick Science Park, and accessed the county council grant after identifying a location in central Nuneaton which he felt would work well.

"The practice in Sapcote is ticking over nicely and people clearly like the concept so we wanted to go forward," he said. "We wanted to expand into Warwickshire and looked at one or two places but just couldn't afford it. It is a big financial hit.

"Then a friend of mine in Derby mentioned some support she had received from their council so I googled Warwickshire County Council and found out about the Small Business Grants.

"I chose Nuneaton because that's where I trained and I know the town. I found a location that I felt would work and, though we could have opened in Nuneaton without the grant, it would have been more difficult and taken longer. I would certainly recommend that any small business looking to grow should find out how the county council can help."

• To find out more about the Warwickshire County Council Small Capital Grant, please contact WCC on 01926 41806. 
• To find out more about the range of support available to grow your business, please contact the Growth Hub on 0300 060 3747.