Free and funded support
Each UK nation has its own free business support service, and Help to Grow: Management runs across all four. These suit defined questions and owners who want structured learning alongside other owners.
| Option | What you get | Cost | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth Hubs (England) | Free advice and financial help through your local growth hub. The Greater Manchester hub, for example, offers fully funded volunteer mentoring of up to 8 hours over six months for eligible growing businesses with fewer than 249 staff. | Free | England, one hub per area. England Business Support Service helpline 0800 998 1098. |
| Business Gateway | One-to-one guidance from a local business adviser, for any business based in Scotland at any stage. | Free | Scotland |
| Business Wales Mentoring | A volunteer mentor, typically for 6 to 12 months. Business Wales says its mentors are not consultants or specialist advisers. | Free | Wales, for businesses based or operating there |
| Go Succeed | Run by Northern Ireland’s 11 councils. Up to 21 hours of one-to-one advice for established businesses, up to 30 hours of mentoring for businesses aiming at £1 million revenue, plus masterclasses and peer support. | Free | Northern Ireland, for businesses registered there |
| Help to Grow: Management | A 12-week business school course with more than 50 hours of training, peer group sessions and 10 hours of one-to-one mentoring. For businesses with 5 to 249 staff that have traded for at least a year. | £750 a place, 90% government funded | More than 60 locations across the UK |
Paid coaching and peer groups
Paid options split into one-to-one coaching, peer advisory groups that meet monthly, and facilitated work with a whole leadership team. Buzz Coaching is listed first because this is its site.
| Option | What you get | Cost | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buzz Coaching | One-to-one coaching, fortnightly, ninety minutes a session, across personal, leadership, business and financial coaching. Financial Coaching is delivered with Buzz Accounting. Free 30-minute discovery call. | £495 to £1,950 a month plus VAT, published on the programmes page. No minimum term. | UK-wide by video. In person by appointment in East Finchley, Salford and Ballymena. |
| ActionCOACH | A franchise network offering one-to-one coaching, group coaching and 12-week courses. A complimentary initial consultation is offered. | One-to-one £1,500 to £3,000 a month or more; group £200 to £1,000 a month. Prices vary by coach. The page does not say whether VAT is included. | Coaches in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland |
| The Alternative Board (TAB) | A monthly peer advisory board of owners from non-competing sectors, led by a facilitator, plus a monthly one-to-one session with the facilitator. Money back if you feel you have not received value after three months. | Not published. Quoted after a conversation with a facilitator. | 35 facilitators listed in England and Scotland |
| Vistage | A monthly peer advisory group of 12 to 16 executives from non-competing organisations, plus one-to-one executive coaching with the group’s Chair. Programmes for chief executives, small business owners and other leaders. | Not published | Chairs found in England, Scotland and Wales; none found in Northern Ireland |
| Business Doctors | Practical, hands-on guidance for start-ups and small businesses. A complimentary discovery session is offered. | Not published | 17 listed in England and Scotland |
| EOS Implementers | Facilitated sessions with the whole leadership team using the Entrepreneurial Operating System. Starts with a free 90-minute meeting. | Varies by implementer | Directory of independent implementers |
| ICF UK coach directory | A directory of independent coaches, each holding an ICF credential, searchable by specialism, location and credential level. | Set by each coach | UK-wide |
Checked on each provider’s own site on 6 November 2026. Prices and services change, so check the provider’s page before you decide. Go Succeed’s funding was confirmed by the Department for the Economy until 31 March 2026, and the service was still listing events in November 2026.
Which option fits which question
A specific question on funding, exporting or starting up.
Start with the free service in your nation: a Growth Hub in England, Business Gateway in Scotland, Business Wales or Go Succeed in Northern Ireland.
Structured management training with other owners.
Help to Grow: Management gives twelve weeks of business school teaching and ten hours of mentoring for £750, if the business has 5 to 249 staff.
Challenge from other owners each month.
A peer advisory board such as TAB or Vistage suits established owners who want a group of peers from other sectors, with one-to-one time alongside.
Regular one-to-one work on you and the business.
A one-to-one coach works on your decisions, your team, profit and time, on a fixed rhythm, with progress measured each session. Compare published prices, minimum terms and who the coach will be.
How Buzz Coaching works
Buzz Coaching is one-to-one only, with Andy Jackson for personal, leadership and business coaching and Peter Allen for financial coaching. Sessions run fortnightly for ninety minutes, by video or in person by appointment, using the Performance on Purpose method. Every fee is on the programmes page, and the Performance on Purpose scorecard shows where you sit before a free discovery call.
Frequently asked questions
Should I start with free support or a paid coach?
Start with free support when you have a defined question: funding, exporting, a grant, starting up or a specialist topic. Growth Hubs, Business Gateway, Business Wales and Go Succeed exist for that, and an adviser or volunteer mentor can often point you to the answer in a few hours. A paid coach makes sense when the question is about how you run the business over months: your decisions, your team, the profit the business makes and the hours it takes from you. Many owners use both, and a good coach will tell you when a free service would answer your question better.
What is the difference between coaching, mentoring and a peer group?
A mentor shares their own experience, often as a volunteer, and you decide what to take from it. A coach works with you on your goals over a fixed rhythm, asks the questions that get you to decide and act, and measures progress against what you agreed. A peer advisory group, such as TAB or Vistage, puts you in a room each month with owners from other sectors who challenge and advise each other, usually with a one-to-one session as well. Advisers in public services give guidance on specific topics. The coaching and mentoring page covers the difference in more detail.
Why do so many providers not publish a price?
Some providers set prices per coach or per facilitator, and some prefer to quote after a conversation about the business. That is a commercial choice, and it makes comparing options harder. Before you commit, ask for the monthly fee in writing, whether it includes VAT, the minimum term, the notice period, and how many hours of one-to-one time the fee covers. Buzz Coaching publishes every programme and fee on the programmes page, from £495 to £1,950 a month plus VAT, with no minimum term.
How do I check whether a coach is any good?
Ask who you will actually work with, what they have done in businesses like yours and how they measure progress. Ask to see the method in writing and how a typical first ninety days runs. Check the contract terms: minimum term, notice period and what happens if a session is cancelled. Professional credentials, such as those listed in the ICF UK directory, show training and standards. A free first call with any coach should leave you with something useful whether or not you go ahead. The guide to choosing a business coach has a fuller checklist.
Talk through your options on a free discovery call.
The call with Andy Jackson is free and lasts 30 minutes. You leave with your position on the Performance on Purpose quadrant, your money, time and mind scores, and your top three priorities in writing.