Skip to content
Leadership & Mentoring

Get yourself investment ready with the Create Growth Programme

Do you know Greater Manchester is the spearhead of the UK creative industry? We have over 19,000 digital, creative and tech companies in Greater Manchester, with 156,000 people working in creative and digital roles across the North West.


It has contributed £6.5bn in direct regional gross value added (GVA), making the region the highest-performing creative cluster outside of London. The creative industry in Greater Manchester is not only the backbone of the UK economy but also the cornerstone of export and the face of the nation on the international stage. 

As one of the six regions identified by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as there is a potential for Creative businesses to become booming businesses, Greater Manchester has been awarded £1.275 million in grant funding from the Department for the Create Growth programme. It is a fully funded programme designed to empower creative businesses in the Greater Manchester region, intending to help them realise their full growth potential and gain investment to take their business to the next level.  

Create Growth is open to a variety of Greater Manchester region businesses (with 2 or more employees) operating in the creative industry, including, but not limited to:  

  • Gaming  
  • Film  
  • Performing Arts  
  • Music  
  • Publishing  
  • Art and Design 
  • PR & Marketing 
  • Craft & Jewellery 
  • Museums & Galleries 
  • Architecture  

The programme will take creative industry businesses through an in-depth, two-day cohort programme to support their business growth. Participants will also be able to attend follow-on coaching sessions and masterclasses on various specialist topics in a more focused environment, within smaller groups. Topics and themes covered include: 

  • Leadership for growth 
  • Innovation strategy 
  • Productivity and processes 
  • Market discovery 
  • Measurement & metrics 
  • Attracting & managing new talent 
  • Sales & marketing 

They will also have access to a dedicated one-to-one business advisor alongside the peer-to-peer elements of the programme. 

“Just Bee Social are delighted to hear about the secured funding for Create Growth,” said Leanne Taylor and Jess Mills, Directors of Just Bee Social. “Fully funded support has played a huge part in our journey as a creative agency so far, and we’re passionate to see the local creative sector thrive, particularly in Wigan; that’s why we’ve been working closely with local schools, young people and the community. We wouldn’t have been able to do these things without the support from the Business Growth Hub.”  

“The support we received from Create Growth was invaluable to our growth,” said John Quinton-Barber, Founder and Chief Executive of Social. “The funding has made a significant impact, allowing us to survive and thrive post-pandemic. We are delighted to hear that the region will be rolling out this programme to support fellow creative businesses in Greater Manchester, providing the opportunity to collaborate and invest in the Creative sector in the region.”  

“The Creative Growth helped Anattic and our team to learn new skills and understand scale and development on a deeper level,” said James Copson, Founder of Anattic. “We have put many lessons learnt during the various workshops, support and advice sessions into practice and have grown the business considerably since joining the programme. Our business has since developed from a UK, localised production company to an international creative production agency with plans to move into Asian markets, specifically Japan. We are excited about the potential this programme has to make a real impact on creative businesses.” 

Sarah Novotny, Head of Digital Creative and Tech Sector Business Support at GC Business Growth Hub, said:

“Creative industries in Greater Manchester have offered strong support to push the region to be the powerhouse of the UK economic development. The recognition and support from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the Create Growth programme have allowed us to develop further what is already a thriving industry. Helping creative organisations in the Greater Manchester region attract investment to grow their business sustainably.” 

Leaders of the creative businesses in Greater Manchester, it is the time for you to get ready to attract investment and realise your ambition to grow your business to a new horizon. 

 

For more information on the Create Growth programme, please go to:  

Create Growth Programme | GC Business Growth Hub 

For more details of our offerings for Digital, Creative and Tech Industries, please go to:  

Digital, Creative and Tech specialist service | GC Business Growth Hub 

For more information on the Global Scale-Up programme, please go to:  

Global Scale-Up Programme | GC Business Growth Hub 

Share this post

GenAI-Powered Chatbot