Opportunities for startups in Birmingham

If you’re planning to start up your new business in the UK or transfer an existing overseas business to the UK, Birmingham could be an ideal location. Being the second biggest city in the UK, Birmingham recorded the highest number of UK startups in 2016 and is currently just behind London when it comes to startup numbers. The Start Up Loans Company, UK Government backed business named Birmingham  “the most entrepreneurial city” outside of London in 2017.

Advantages of starting up a business in Birmingham

Some of the benefits of opting for Birmingham as your choice for startup location include:

1. Birmingham has a great geographic location in the Midlands, central England, so it’s quick and easy to travel to from anywhere in the UK. It only takes around 90 minutes to travel from Birmingham to London by train, and the motorway network is superb for accessing any area of the UK in the shortest possible times. If the proposed HS2 rail developments go ahead, the train journey to London will be cut to just over 40 minutes.

2. The commercial rents in Birmingham are a lot lower than those in London and labour costs are a lot lower than the UK average. The average weekly earnings for full time employees in 2016 were around £497 per week.

3. There are four major universities in Birmingham, so businesses have access to a talented workforce. Furthermore, over 220,000 people within the working age population are qualified at NVQ level 4 or above.

4. The NEC, one of the largest conference and trade show facilities in the UK, is very close to Birmingham city centre. Every year, the NEC hosts a number of high profile business events.

5. Birmingham is home to a thriving tech startup zone, known as Silicon Tech Canal and the local enterprise zone is very supportive of startups. There are a wide range of grants, funds and initiatives available to Birmingham startups that make a commitment to providing employment in the city.

6. While the city’s tech scene is growing, the Midlands has traditionally been home to heavy industry and manufacturing businesses and the area remains the go-to region for these types of businesses. If you are running a business focused on heavy industry or manufacturing, the Midlands the natural area to establish in due to its industry clusters and the infrastructure.

If you need any advice on which UK city that’s most suitable for your business, or anything else related to starting up a business in the UK, Goodwille can help. We have helped nearly 2,000 businesses with their UK operations and can provide you with all the advice and support you need to make sure your business can grow and flourish in the UK. With offices in Midlands and London, we can offer you location-based and industry-specific expertise. Get in touch with us today to learn about how we can ensure the success of your business.