Scottish Enterprise and our partners in the public sector are doing all we can to help businesses stay resilient and address the anticipated impacts of Brexit.
Scotland’s business community is the engine room of our economy, and there has never been a more important time for businesses to take a look at their own resilience, particularly taking steps to be as ready as possible for the UK’s EU exit.
Our advice to all businesses in Scotland is to continue to actively prepare for a no-deal Brexit on 31 October. All areas of business operations will be affected, ranging from employees, materials or components that are imported, exports, supply chain relationships, IP and legal contracts with EU customers and suppliers.
Acting now to prepare for a fundamental change to Scotland’s business environment will help ensure you have the right contingency plans in place – deal or no deal – to protect your business, supply chain and customers.
A good starting point is to check out the PrepareforBrexit.scot website, a partnership between Scottish Enterprise and our partner enterprise agencies – Scottish Development International, Skills Development Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Business Gateway. It’s a collaborative base of support for Scottish business designed to raise awareness of the risks, challenges and opportunities of the new economic landscape by highlighting areas that businesses need to plan for to mitigate the possible consequences of Brexit.
The website acts as a virtual one stop shop for all the advice you need and signposts to relevant assistance, as well as being the place to apply for financial help.
The Brexit Support Grant is available to any VAT registered, small to medium enterprise in Scotland, and can provide up to £4,000 to help companies manage a range of Brexit related impacts. The website also features examples of how the Brexit Support Grant is already being used by Scottish businesses.
SMEs employing up to 250 staff can use it for a wide range of activities including consultancy support, professional fees, external training, and international market research.
Getting Brexit-ready can seem daunting and costly, but there are many actions that can be taken right away that are low-risk and low-cost.
The PrepareforBrexit.scot website includes a self-assessment tool to help you identify the areas your business needs to become Brexit-ready. This covers potential risks and impacts for your business, quick essential actions to take immediately, and advice and financial support available. The website also includes details of relevant events and workshops.
It is critical that Scottish businesses continue to assess the challenges presented by Brexit and take necessary action to safeguard their growth. Preparing your business for Brexit is about developing a flexible planning approach so you can adapt and be resilient across a range of potential Brexit outcomes. We are stepping up support with additional financial and people resource to make sure businesses have access to support that will help them meet challenges head on.
Help is also available at the end of a phoneline on 0300 303 0661.
