Once again, we have been blown away by the fantastic entries for the Scottish Borders Business Excellence Awards and now the hard work begins for our judges. This Friday, we will be hosting a lunch for the sponsors at The Ednam House Hotel and I look forward to catching up with everyone. The event is moving to the Macdonald Cardrona Hotel this year and tickets are on sale now.

As highlighted in our last newsletter, I was delighted to have the pleasure of meeting with Malcolm Buchanan, Managing Director of Corporate and Commercial Banking at the Royal Bank Scotland. Malcolm made me aware of some very exciting, leading-edge, technological developments that are being created at Gogarburn. Malcolm also highlighted how happy the Bank would be to share these with Chamber members and I am currently looking into arranging an event in the not too distant future for the Bank to showcase these innovations with everyone.

Earlier that same day, I attended the RBS Accelerator Hub to get a better understanding of how it operated and how it may be of benefit to Chamber members. The RBS Accelerator Programme is initially a 6 month, fully funded programme for entrepreneurs who are looking to grow their businesses. This can be extended to 18 months. Among the many benefits on offer is free business mentoring, 1:1 coaching and office space at their site in Gogarburn. Applications for this round of the Accelerator Programme is now closed, but they have 2 intakes every year in October and March and are very keen to receive applications from the Scottish Borders.

Our very own Mentoring for Growth programme concluded in July, which has received positive feedback from the businesses who were fortunate enough to secure a place on the programme. As the programme was funded by LEADER we are currently investigating new funding avenues to continue with the delivery of this initiative locally and I will hopefully have an update on this shortly.

On Friday 23rd August, we held our second Speed Networking Event at SCHLOSS Roxburghe Hotel & Golf Club. Thanks again to Emily McGowan and her team at McGowan Marketing for organising the event and GB Technologies for their continued sponsorship. Once again, feedback from the event was outstanding and it definitely is the hot ticket event in the Borders business diary. Keep your eyes peeled for details of our next event.

Finally, this is your newsletter, so, if you want to bang the drum about your business, we actively encourage members to provide us with stories for inclusion. If you are a new member of the Chamber, have created an exciting product or won a new contract, we want to hear about it. Forward your story, along with some pictures to communications@borderschamber.com.

Once again, we were thrilled to host a hugely successful Speed Networking Event on Friday 23rd August at the beautiful SCHLOSS Roxburghe Hotel.

You don't need to take our word for it - see what Siobhan and Woody have to say in the little video clip above.

Once again, our thanks go to GB Technologies Ltd. Without their support, we could not host these events.

Member Profile: This Could Be You!

You could promote your business here!

We would like to showcase as many Borders businesses as possible, so if you would like to submit a Member Profile for the eBulletin, please don't hesitate to contact Emily.

Be Part of the Borders Picture

Once again, we would like to encourage as many Borders businesses as possible to take part in the Quarterly Economic Indicator survey.

The survey is one of the most comprehensive undertaken across Scotland so Borders participation is hugely important. The next survey is now live. Click here to take part.

An Opportunity to Make a Difference

These are exciting times for the Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce and we are now actively seeking to appoint four new members to our Board of Directors, joining our recently appointed Chairperson, Moira Wilson, and our current Board members.

This voluntary role would be ideal for any professional keen to secure a voice for their sector at the Chamber's table, and influence change at a local and national level. It is also an opportunity for anyone looking to add Board level experience to their CV.
 

If you would like further information, please email the Chamber Chairperson, Moira Wilson.

Bruce Stevenson Insurance Brokers Event

Join us at Macdonald Cardrona Hotel for a morning of golf and networking.

Come along at 9am for welcome tea and coffee and introductions. Then tee off in a four-ball, enjoying the stunning front nine of the hotel's championship course.

Break for bacon rolls, tea/coffee and networking.

Then the choice is yours, head back to work or carry on with the back nine.

To book your place, click here to visit the Eventbrite booking page.