Grow London Local support provider: acceptance criteria

We’re always looking to connect with brilliant organisations who share our mission to help London’s small businesses start, grow and thrive. If you offer practical, high-quality support for entrepreneurs and small business owners, we’d love to hear from you.

To make sure every business gets the best possible experience, we review all potential support providers against a simple set of criteria. While joining our network of providers isn’t guaranteed, meeting the following helps us understand how your business support services can add value to London’s SMEs.

We look for providers who:

• Offer services that meet the needs of London’s SMEs, such as finance, marketing, start-up support, innovation, or legal advice. Please see here for more information on our priority areas
• Have the ability to support 20 or more small businesses per month
• Are experienced in supporting the unique challenges and opportunities faced by London-based SMEs
• Align with Grown London Local’s values and mission, including offering support for diverse and neurodivergent founders
• Have the ability to share information on impact if requested by the Grow London Local team

Additionally, all support providers are required to:

• Provide Grow London Local with a key contact within their organisation
• Agree to enter into our standard terms and conditions

Meeting these criteria doesn’t automatically guarantee inclusion, but it helps us build a network of trusted Business Support Providers who share our passion for supporting London’s small business community.

What we review in your Expression of Interest

When you submit an Expression of Interest, we review it against the criteria below. This helps us understand what you offer and whether it’s the right fit for London’s SMEs.

1. Relevance of your service

We need to know that your support matches what London SMEs are looking for. We’ll look for:

• Clear descriptions of your services and topics covered
• Information on training, programmes, workshops or events on your website
• Web pages or materials that clearly show you support SMEs

2. Reputation, experience and impact

We want to work with providers who have proven experience helping SMEs and can deliver support at scale.

We’re looking for providers who:

• Have supported at least 20 SMEs in the last 12 months
• Can share at least two recent, relevant testimonials or independent reviews
• Provide information on how and where they deliver support (online, in person, venues, platforms)
• Can tell us typical cohort sizes and attendance rates for their programmes and services

3. Knowledge of London SMEs

London-based businesses face specific challenges and opportunities.

We’re looking for providers who:

• Understand the London context and can tailor their support accordingly

We’ll also look for:

• Evidence of previous London delivery (e.g. boroughs you’ve worked in, partnerships with local authorities, London-based networks or programmes)

4. Inclusivity and accessibility

We aim to highlight support that works for all founders, including disabled, neurodivergent and under-represented groups.

We’re looking for providers who:

• Show a clear commitment to inclusive and accessible delivery

We’ll look for:

• Examples of adaptations (e.g. online or hybrid delivery, accessible materials, flexible times)
• Information or data on how you reach under-represented groups, where available

5. Clarity of service and pricing

SMEs need simple, transparent information so they can decide quickly if your support is right for them.

We’re looking for providers who:

• Offer a clear structure for their support and are upfront about pricing

We’ll look for:

• Whether your offer is free, discounted, low-cost or fee-based, and how it’s funded
• Confirmation that quotes or prices are clearly set out in writing for SMEs

6. Quality assurance

We must make sure all listed providers meet basic standards of professionalism and compliance.

We’re looking for providers who:

• Follow UK professional, legal and ethical standards

We’ll look for:

• Company registration or charity number, or other relevant identifiers (e.g. UTR, UKPRN)
• Relevant qualifications, registrations or accreditations for any regulated or professional services

If you feel you meet these points, we’d be very happy to receive your Expression of Interest and learn more about how you support London’s small businesses.