Time to Grow, East Sussex connects East Sussex businesses with experienced specialists in marketing, sales, AI, and more, at no cost to you.
The Specialist Business Support Programme is a funded initiative from East Sussex County Council, delivered by the Digital Islands network of expert advisors.
Whether you want to win more clients, sharpen your marketing, adopt new technology, or build a stronger online presence, we will match you with a specialist who has done it before and knows how to help you do it too.
You will receive a structured programme of support: starting with a diagnostic session to understand your business and its priorities, followed by hands-on specialist guidance tailored specifically to you.
Every business accepted onto the programme receives up to 16 hours of dedicated, one-to-one specialist support, structured around your business goals, not a generic template.
"Working with a specialist through the programme gave us a clear direction we had been missing. Within three months of our support sessions ending, we had increased enquiries by 40%."
The programme is open to independently owned businesses based in East Sussex. Check whether you meet the criteria below.
Your business must be based within the East Sussex boundary (sorry, this does not include Brighton and Hove).
The programme is designed for SMEs, typically businesses with 2 to 20 employees.
Your business should be up and running, not a pre-start or brand new business idea. Ideally VAT registered.
You should have a genuine ambition to develop your business and be committed to engaging with the support.
Not sure if you qualify? Book a free 20-minute discovery call and we will confirm your eligibility on the call. If we cannot support you through this programme, we will do our best to point you in the right direction.
The programme is structured so that every business gets the right specialist for their needs, and the support they receive is built around their goals, not a generic checklist.
East Sussex businesses across a range of sectors have already completed the programme. Here is a selection of what they achieved.
These are genuine testimonials from real business owners who participated in previous business support programmes delivered by Digitalislands.org.
"Signing up for the programme was one of the best decisions I have made."
"I now feel more confident in my approach, have greater visibility, and have already seen tangible results from the work we have done together."
"The entire process has been wonderfully supportive."
"I left the programme more confident and in a much better position to carry the business forward."
Every business is guided by a lead advisor who runs the whole journey, and a specialist matched precisely to their priorities. Together the team covers marketing, sales, AI, finance, HR, operations, brand and more.
Your lead advisor runs your diagnostic assessment, makes your specialist introduction, and checks in at midpoint and wrap-up to make sure the support is delivering results.
Sam brings extensive experience working with East Sussex businesses across a range of sectors. With a background in business development and growth strategy, Sam is skilled at quickly identifying the areas where focused support will deliver the most meaningful results.
James has a strong track record helping small and medium-sized businesses in East Sussex clarify their priorities and take action. He approaches every diagnostic with curiosity and pragmatism, focused on what is realistic as well as what is ambitious.
Tony brings a wealth of experience supporting independent businesses through periods of change and growth. He combines commercial rigour with a practical, grounded style, helping business owners see clearly, plan effectively, and move forward with confidence.
Gavin leads Time to Grow, East Sussex, overseeing every discovery assessment, quality assurance and the strategic alignment of support across all participating businesses. With a background in marketing strategy and business development, he ensures each business is matched with the right specialist and that the programme delivers measurable outcomes.
Once your diagnostic is complete, you will be matched with the specialist whose expertise fits your priorities. Each is an expert practitioner in their field, not a generalist.
Typical challenges supportedAI readiness, productivity improvement, workflow automation, operational efficiency
Typical challenges supportedSystems integration, automation opportunities, process improvement, digital efficiency
Typical challenges supportedLead generation, customer retention, CRM optimisation, marketing systems
Typical challenges supportedLow online visibility, weak website traffic, lead generation challenges
Typical challenges supportedB2B lead generation, customer retention, relationship development, outreach effectiveness
Typical challenges supportedTeam development, recruitment challenges, leadership capability, organisational growth
Typical challenges supportedWebsite effectiveness, online visibility, conversion improvement
Typical challenges supportedCustomer conversion, website performance, digital marketing effectiveness
Typical challenges supportedMarketing clarity, communications planning, customer engagement, visibility
Typical challenges supportedSales confidence, customer acquisition, revenue growth, sales process development
Typical challenges supportedOperational inefficiency, customer experience, systems design, scalability
Typical challenges supportedSocial engagement, communications consistency, digital visibility
Typical challenges supportedLeadership resilience, culture change, workforce engagement, organisational effectiveness
Typical challenges supportedBrand clarity, founder visibility, market differentiation, customer engagement
Typical challenges supportedSocial media performance, digital campaigns, audience growth, customer acquisition
Typical challenges supportedFinancial planning, profitability, forecasting, operational cost management
Typical challenges supportedUnclear value proposition, ineffective business model, team accountability challenges
Typical challenges supportedSales strategy, commercial growth, new market development, partnership building, relationship marketing, outreach and opportunity development
Typical challenges supportedFlat growth without obvious cause, pre-investment brand clarity, proposition development, go-to-market story, pricing and competitive positioning
Expanding networkWhere a diagnostic identifies a need outside our core network, we have the ability to bring in additional specialist expertise. The programme is built to flex around what each business actually needs.
Have a question about the programme? Chat with our automated assistant below or give us a call.
Choose a time that suits you. No preparation needed, just come ready to talk about your business and what you would like to achieve.
Prefer to get in touch another way? Email us at enquiries@timetogrow.digitalislands.org
A 20-minute conversation with one of our lead advisors. No obligation, no sales pitch, just a straightforward conversation about your business and whether this programme is right for you.
Free · No obligation · East Sussex businesses only
