Opening for Business in Kent

By: John Mullt


It is often said in real estate that the three most important aspects of any property are: location, location, and location. So, why should you put your new business in Kent? Well, let us see; where to begin? Let us go back to that issue: location. Kent is in an ideal location: conveniently placed between London and the Channel Tunnel, and right on the coast. So, you have easy access to important business centers and an ideal location for your offices and manufacturing plants. Also, Gatwick and Heathrow airports, as well as the train hubs, are close by. So, going out to meet, or bringing clients in for meetings are both easy to do with situation your business in Kent.

First of all, there is the question of what business you want to set up. Here again, you are lucky in you intend to do business in Kent. If you are looking to get into a new field: "green" technology, e-commerce etc. then a business in Kent is ideal for you. On the other hand, if you are looking at something a bit more traditional: tourism, construction, engineering etc. the Kent area is still good. There are a variety of resources to help you market and promote your business no matter what area you are looking to get into.

Next, there is the question of staff. In the Kent area are quite a few institutions of higher learning. So, no matter what field of endeavor you are involved in, you can find workers to serve you. Not only does Kent have an educated workforce, it has a large and diverse population. So, it does not matter if you need twenty young workers or thirty middle-aged managers; you can find what you need in Kent.

Now, once you have settled on where you want to set up your business, there is the question of capital to invest in it. These days, unless you are independently wealthy, you will need investors to get a new business off the ground. Here again, Kent is a great area for the growth of new companies. There is the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) that is dedicated to helping a business in Kent to grow and develop. If you need startup money, they have grant programmes to help small and medium firms. If you need help in creating a management plan, and a scope of best management practices, they also have grants to assist you on that.

Then there is the issue of growth and development. These days, a company can not just remain static; you must continue to grow and change to meet the changes and challenges of the future. Here again, Kent has the resources to help you with these development. Through the SEEDA, there are grants and programmes to help you conduct research and development. The great thing about these grants is that they are tailored to the size of your business. After all, if you have a small firm of about twenty employees, and you want to develop a new manufacturing process, you will not need a huge amount of money. Well, with the SEEDA grants, they can give you enough money to help you, yet not bury you in debt.

Of course, maybe you have not invented anything new, yet you still want to grow your business. Well, the Kent area can still help you. There are technology sharing programmes from both the universities and large corporations. Here again, the SEEDA grants can make technology, inventions, best management techniques, and manufacturing processes available to you. No matter you needs, a business in Kent is a great idea.


John McLean is a Business Development Executive with Locate in Kent. Locate in Kent has helped more than 440 companies relocate to or expand in Kent. The company's free, confidential corporate relocation service includes information about business kent, sites and commercial property in Kent and Medway.