# Go For It and NI business startup support for trades
You've basically got three main bits of help in NI: Go For It / Go Succeed, Invest NI, and the local enterprise agency network, all sitting on top of the usual UK-wide stuff like Companies House and HMRC. Used properly, they'll give you more free mentoring and hand-holding than you'd get starting the same business in England.
Quick rule of thumb: NI gives new trades businesses 10–21 hours of free 1-to-1 mentoring, a business plan built for you, and local enterprise support that most of England doesn't match: but you have to actually pick up the phone and ask for it.
1. Go For It / Go Succeed, free start-up help
The old Go For It programme has effectively rolled into the newer NI-wide Go Succeed service, delivered through the 11 councils and local enterprise agencies.
What it offers a new tradesperson:
- Free 1-to-1 mentoring · typically 10–21 hours of fully funded advice with a business adviser (often via your local enterprise agency).
- Business plan and cash-flow · they'll help you build a proper start-up plan, cash-flow forecast and basic marketing plan · the stuff lenders and grant schemes want to see.
- Workshops and bootcamps · 4–5 week "Start-Up Boot Camps" and specialist workshops on topics like pricing, tax, marketing and digital.
- Eligibility · open to anyone in NI with a business idea or early trading business. No sector restriction, so construction trades are fine.
- Cost · the support is fully funded (free to you), because it's paid for by councils and government programmes.
This is better than what most people in England get by default: New Enterprise Allowance is gone, and while you can find start-up advice, it's patchy and not always free or as intensive.
What it won't do:
- It doesn't hand you a big grant to buy a van.
- It won't do your bookkeeping · it just gets you set up the right way.
Tip for new starters If you're starting in NI and haven't spoken to Go For It / Go Succeed yet, you're leaving free help on the table.
2. Local Enterprise Agencies, your local pit crew
NI has a dense network of Local Enterprise Agencies, coordinated by Enterprise Northern Ireland, covering all 11 council areas and 66 locations.
They typically offer:
- Start-up clinics · first point of contact for Go For It/Go Succeed, business planning, and referrals.
- Low-cost workspace · starter units, co-working and offices for early-stage businesses.
- Hands-on support · real-world advice from people who see trades and small businesses day in, day out · they're not just academic coaches.
Compared to a lot of England, you're more likely in NI to get a named adviser, in-person sessions and local knowledge (who's building what, which banks are realistic, etc.).
3. Invest NI, once you want to grow, not just survive
Invest NI is the economic development agency. It's not just for big exporters, there are programmes a small or micro construction firm can tap, especially once you're trading and ambitious.
For a new or growing trades business, the useful bits are:
- Advice and signposting · general "Support for Business", including help on improving productivity, digital, exporting and innovation.
- Small grants and innovation support: things like the Business Innovation Grant (BIG) offering up to £20,000 for micro businesses and sole traders with innovative projects (not every tradesperson will qualify, but if you're doing something new, prefab, green tech, digital, it's worth a look).
- Ambition to Grow: funding up to £45,000 to help businesses who are ready to sell outside NI, focusing on growth, exports and job creation.
Important:
- Invest NI is selective · it tends to back firms with growth and export potential, not every one-man band doing bathrooms.
- It's more relevant once you've traded for a bit and can show a plan to grow headcount or turnover, or bring in innovation.
- Compared to England's Start Up Loans or old NEA, NI's Invest NI offer is more about growth and innovation grants than basic survival cash.
4. nibusinessinfo.co.uk, your NI version of GOV.UK
nibusinessinfo.co.uk is the main NI business information portal.
You'll find:
- Step-by-step guides on starting a business, tax, VAT, insurance, health and safety.
- A searchable directory of grants and support schemes, including local council schemes, Invest NI funds, and UK-wide offers.
- Links to local enterprise agencies, sector-specific guidance and construction-related regulations.
This is where you go to check: "Is there a grant for X?" and "Do I qualify for anything beyond what Go For It is giving me?"
In England you'd be poking around GOV.UK, Growth Hubs and random LEP sites. NI is more centralised and frankly easier to navigate.
5. What NI gives you that England often doesn't
For a new tradesperson starting in NI you can realistically get:
- 10–21 hours of free 1-to-1 mentoring on your exact trade business (pricing, vans, quoting, tax), plus workshops.
- Free business plan and cash-flow built with someone who's done this hundreds of times.
- Local enterprise agency support and sometimes subsidised workspace.
- The chance to tap innovation or growth grants from Invest NI (BIG, Ambition to Grow) if you bring something new or scale beyond basic day-rate graft.
In England you can still get help, but it's patchier and often not as joined-up or generous on the advisory side. The main UK-wide finance (Start Up Loans) is open to NI too, so you can stack that on top of NI's free mentoring.
What to do next
- Book into Go For It / Go Succeed · ring them, say you're a self-employed builder/plumber/spark wanting to get set up properly, and ask for start-up mentoring and a business plan.
- Find your local enterprise agency · use Enterprise NI's directory to find the nearest agency and ask what they can offer: workspace, extra mentoring, or sector programmes.
- Use nibusinessinfo · spend an hour checking: registrations, insurance, health and safety, and what grants or loans you might qualify for.
- Talk to Invest NI when you're ready to grow · once you're trading and have a plan to hire or do something a bit different (new tech, off-site build, exporting services), speak to Invest NI about whether you fit programmes like Business Innovation Grant or Ambition to Grow.
You can do this alongside all the usual stuff (Companies House, HMRC, insurance), but the NI-specific support means you don't have to figure everything out on your own.
Sources
- Go For It / Go Succeed programme materials · free mentoring (10–21 hours), business planning support, Start-Up Boot Camps delivered through NI councils and enterprise agencies.
- Enterprise Northern Ireland · coordination of local enterprise agencies across 11 council areas and 66 locations.
- Invest NI programmes · Business Innovation Grant (up to £20,000 for micro businesses), Ambition to Grow (up to £45,000 for growth-focused firms).
- nibusinessinfo.co.uk · NI business information portal with grant directories and step-by-step guides.
- Start Up Loans Company · UK-wide government-backed finance available in NI.
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