You might be thinking: in the wake of a pandemic, is starting or expanding your current business really a good idea? Certainly, there are risks involved in every business decision, but a pandemic tends to heighten challenge and struggle. Fortunately, we have the insight you need to establish whether Manchester has the right economic environment upon which your business can start, grow and thrive.
Why is Manchester a good location for a business?
Manchester has undergone an intensive period of regeneration over the last two decades, and business opportunities have begun to flourish on the back of a long history as a trading and manufacturing hotspot. Although, Manchester’s history is somewhat of a double-ended sword. A severe focus on manufacturing, especially the manufacture of textiles, seemed to tank Manchester’s economy, as textile imports were increasingly sourced from outside the UK.
Nevertheless, the decline of this sector has not stuck, and Manchester has not remained stagnant. Manchester has become somewhat of a ‘portal’ for businesses to develop and improve in order to access not only the UK market, but Europe and North America. And, in the wake of a pandemic, Manchester continues to stand strong.
We would argue that yes, now is an especially good time to start or expand a business in Manchester! Manchester City Council has been ingenious in marketing Manchester to a number of international investors, and world-class businesses have taken residence in the city.
This isn’t competition for your own business, but potential. Create new contacts, court new clients, establish a new demographic for your company. Especially if you are just getting operations off the ground, it helps to operate in a populous market, where there is an army of potential suppliers, investors and customers waiting to participate in the delivery, reception and success of your product or service.
Easy access to foreign investment occurs through Manchester airport, and for British-centred opportunities, Manchester has viable transport links to the South East, including London, and the North. Transport is essential in terms of sustaining an economy and the businesses within, and Manchester is abundant in this area.
In regards to making a return on the investment you have made into your business, Manchester has an amazing start-up scene in which your business can flourish, borne out of the highly-rated universities and career opportunities for young professionals that exist there. Thriving technology sets the foundation for business operations, and investment agencies ensure you integrate well into the local economy.
Overall, Manchester is swiftly becoming a business hotspot. If you’re starting out, or looking to take operations a step further, Manchester is the place to be.
If not Manchester, then where?
If you’re looking to develop business opportunities elsewhere in the UK, consider serviced offices in Birmingham. Not too far from the economic centre that Manchester is proving to be, Birmingham is an industrial powerhouse in its own right, and a perfect place to get your business off the ground. Serviced office locations provide everything you need, from bandwidth to breakfast, to ensure you can focus on what really matters: getting your business off the ground, and into the furthest measures of success.