0208 133 2954

Support and Contact

Email Support

Please make sure your check the Platform FAQ’s (below) first before sending us an email.

Contacting us for technical support is easy. just send us a quick email at web@startuprichmond.com and we’ll be back to you as soon as possible.

We aim to answer all queries within 1 day during business hours Monday to Friday.

Have a suggestion?

We are always looking to improve the platform and would love to hear from you with your ideas or if you spot a bug. We are adding functionality to the platform all the time and those features are largely based around your ideas. Keep them coming. email them to web@startuprichmond.com

Telephone Support

If you are calling about a problem you are having with your business, then the number to call is 0208 133 2954 and one of our consultants will be happy to help you.

 

 

 

Have A Business Related Question?

No problem. We have you covered there too. We have a whole section covering the most common questions that we get asked.  Just click on the link and that page will open. BUSINESS SUPPORT FAQ

General and Technical FAQ’s

Please make sure you read through these before contacting us. We will add to this FAQ to keep it up to date.

About Membership And Us

How did this all start?

Another Good question! Over the years we (CPG, the company that owns this platform) have been providing business support programmes to local government councils across London and beyond. Last year Richmond Council asked us to build something innovative and different and thus the StartUp Richmond Enterprise Challenge Step Up Start Up, Scale up was born. 

The Enterprise Challenge was version 1 of what you seee today. That platform also included live events and one to one consultancy. The programme supported over 900 businesses in just 10 months. 

Alas, the funding was available for a short term project only and as we were still getting many requests for help, we decided to expand the programme ourselves and bring it to the next level. 

Why does the platform look so different to the original one?

We are delighted that it does! The original platform was a test. We wanted to see if people would use it and what parts of it they wanted most. It wasn’t supposed to be social interactive platform. Thanks to all of the feeedback you have given us we have now been able to create a really good (in our opinion) platform. Easy to use, familiar layouts and with the functionality that you have asked for. We hope you enjoy it. 🙂

What does basic (free) membership get me?

Basic membership has been designed to allow you to have a look around and to get a feel for the community.  For instance, perhaps you are not quite ready to start your business just yet. So, you can see the members, see the posts and read the support and resources section. If you want additional functionality then we suggest you upgrade. 

You also get access to our live events. You must pay to attend, but that’s usually enough for people to realise that full membership is really worth it. Monthly membership costs 50% less than the price of an event. 

 

 

What does full (paid) membership get me?

Essentially paid membership gets you everything.

Full functionality of the platform with the directory, private messaging & posting. (there are many more features that will be coming on line soon).

Full access to all webinars and training. Thats over 300 hours of traiing, specifically for the SME sector.

Full access to all our live events. Meet our consultants, get advice and expand your business network. 

Access to our consultants and mentors. We have experts across every field, specially chosen by us. Whatever you need we have an expert who can help. 

Access to the community. This is key. You will learn most from talking to ther business owners. You will also do business with the community you mix with. People get clients all the time from coming to our events. 

Need we say more?

Why is membership so cheap?

Good question! We see thousands of businesses every year and the majority of them all have the same problems. One of those problems is lack of finance. We understand what this is like, we were a startup once too. Therefore, we want to make it as accessable as possible to everyone. We want to help the maximum number of businesses and we can’t do that one at a time.  The platform and the training is there to make sure that a much higher % of businesses succeeed. We could charge more, but we don’t want to. We want this available to everyone.

How will I know what events and webinar you having coming up?

That’s easy. We will send you regular updates of what is happening. This includes events and training and anything else that we think will interest you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Can I come to the networking and business clinics if I only have basic membership?

Yes you can, however there is a charge of £15 + vat. Just click on the event you want to attend (in our events section) and register from there. 

Is this open to people in Richmond only?

In 2018, that was the case as it was a Richmond Council supported initiative. Now however, we are not locked into a geographical location and have expanded the programme to a wider audience, initially concentrating on South West London (and surrounding areas). In reality however, anyone who wants, can join.  If we get more members outside of south west London, we’ll expand it to accomodate that too. Essentially, you all control that.

 

 

Profile

Who can see my profile?

Everyone can see all your basic information such as job title, company etc. They cannot see your email address or telephone number. 

If you look at your profile settings. Everything in the first tab that you complete will be visible in your profile. Do your best to keep this up to date and to fill in as much information as possible. It will encourage more people to get in touch with you.

Why do I see blank spaces in my profile?

It is likely that these are items that you have not filled in. Just head over to edit profile and fill in the blanks and then those blank spaces should disappear.

How do I edit my profile?

On the menu bar there is an option under profile to navigate to your edit profile page. You will also see a link under your profile summary on the top left of the home page. 

Can I simply paste my profile information over from LinkedIn?

Absolutely. That is certainly the fastest way to fill in your profile. 

Can I include my social media links in my profile?

Yes you can. Navigate to edit profile and the second tab accross has a section for your social media links. Just paste in your urls for the icons you want to show. Then when people look at your profile, they can see the icons under your profile picture.

Please note: If you haven’t included your social media url’s in your edit profile, then no buttons will show in yoour profile.

Can I pin a particular post to the top of my profile?

Yes you can. You will seee a small spanner icon on the top right of your post. Just click on it and hey presto, your post will stick to the top. Use the same option to unstick it.

Why does my profile header look blurry?

The right size for a profile header is 1024px by 250px or 27.093 cm x 6.614cm. Anything smaller than that will look blurry. Anything not in that dimension with also be automatically resized which will look wrong.

Why can't I see the "message me" button?

If you are looking at your own profile, the button does not appear. You are not going to message yourself after all! Check out any other profile and you will see the “message me” button.

Further, if you are a basic member (non paying) then this feature is not available to you. You can see the button but you can;t actually write a message.  To fix this all you have to do is upgrade and then you can message away to your hearts content.

Training

What type of training is available?

All of our training is specifically designed for SME’s. We cover all the important topics like planning, strategy, marketing, sales, operations, HR, Import/ Export etc. We even have a special section for food businesses. 

What is the difference between the webinars and the on demand training?

The webinars are topics that we have covered over the last year and have been produced in house by us. We have done our best to include our community members and all of the webinars have been done by experts in their field. We have over 60 hours of training in this so far and we add new topics every month.

The on demand training is training that we have curated from across the world. Again, run by experts in their fiels, howwever not specifically targeting UK businesses. As we progress we will be replacing a lot of this training to cover the topics with a UK focus, therefore more relevant to local businesses. 

What type of topics do you cover in the on demand training section?

The topics cover a wide range of topics from markeing, sales, technology, operations, planning, excel skills and things like that. Essentially we wanted to cover topics that added to what we are doing in our own webinar training.

Can I do a training webinar?

It is likely that you can. We do plan our webinars well in advance and we are unlikely to repeat a webinar that is very similar to what we already have. If however you are an expert in your field and have something that you think we should all know, then yes, please get in touch and talk to our training team.

Can I get one to one private help?

Yes you can. We have consultants available who will be happy to answer any quick questions you have. If you are looking for a more indepth session, we can provide that too and its best to speak to one of our consultant to understand what format will suit you best. Just email us at hello@startuprichmond.com and we’ll be happy to help.

Posting

What am I allowed to post?

Anything reasonable that takes your fancy. Company/personal news, events, new product lauches, items of news, items in the news, quotes etc. You can also share photos, tell us about your blog posts, any intersting articles you read. You can post toutube videos and really anything else you think will be of interest to your fellow members. 

Please note: We will not accept comments or posts that are defamatory, racist, sexual or any post/comment seen as bullying/enciting hate.

We do monitor the posts and will block anyone who breaks the rules. We know you are all good people though and we won;t have to do that right? 😉 

Can I post events, networking or meetups I am running?

Sure. No problem at all. This is a community platform. Please make sure you tell everyone about your events. We want this platform to be an inclusive as possible.

Will everyone see my posts?

By default everyone who is a member of the platform (basic and paid) are send an email alert that posts have been created. This currently happens once a day. They have the choice to logon and see what has been posted. 

Of course anyone logged into the platform can see your posts and can scroll down the timeline.

Who can I share my posts with?

You have a choice. Unless you are saying something private we really recommend that you post to all members. That is the default option.

To chose, in either your profile page or in the home page, there is an area to post. Just above that and to the right there is a drop down menu where you can chose who to post to. 

If you chose select members, a new bar will appear and you just start typing the name of the person or people you want to include. Then write your post and click send.

Can I tag other users in my posts?

Yes you can. All you have to do is add the @… then replace the … by typing the name of the person you want to include in your post. That’s it, simple!

Can everyone message everyone?

No. Those who are on the free or basic membership cannot message you. The button to message is not visable for them. However, anyone on a paid membership can contact anyone. Basic members will get an email alert that you got in touch, but cannot reply to you on the message system.

Can I auto post to other platforms?

This is something our developers are working on. Facebook first and then Twitter. We are hoping to add more social network sites to this functionality as we go. 

Directory

Who is in the directory?

Everyone who is part of the platform, paid and basic.

Why do some of the profiles look blank?

This is down to the amount that each individual member has filled in. We are not in control of that, however will be doing our best to encourage people to be more proactive in this area. 

How does the search work?

There is a quick search bar at the top of the directory. just type in a name, job title industry name or whatever you like and the results will come up. 

There is an advanced search that you can use to narrow your results down. Please note that the search can only filter for the information people have put in. For instance, if you search for “Accountant” only those with accountant in their profile will turn up. 

Is there a limit to how many profiles I can view?

No, there is no limit. 

Messaging

Who can use the "message me" button?

Everyone can see the button however only those on paid memberships can use it. If you’d like access all you have to do is upgrade and then you’ll have full functionality of the platform. 

How do I know my messages are recieved?

By default all members will recieve notifications once a day regarding posts and messages. They will have to log on to see the message though. 

Also in the messages tab of the navigation menu there is an alart build it to tell you you have messages.  

Can I message more than one person at a time?

Yes, you can include other members in a message and everyone will get it. This is intended for small group sharing, similar to Bcc in your email.

Please note: We do not permit spamming behaviour. We are able to monitor the flows of messages and if we spot this we will block that user from messaging. 

Can I block a person from messaging me?

No you cannot block an individual sender. If you are getting inappropriate or spam like emails please email us at web@startuprichmond.com and we’ll look into it for you. 

Can I add attachments and media to my messages?

Yes, you can. The platform has some of the same functionality as a mailing platform.  Please keep file sizes to less than 2mb. 

I'm getting too many message notifications. How do I stop this?

If you are getting too many messages you can disable the message notifications. That way you won’t get an email evertime someone sends you a message. You can control this in the settings tab of your edit profile.

You will have to log into the platform to see your messages and alerts from that point on. 

Payments and Settings

Why was my original password created for me?

This has to do with your security. We did this so that no-one can steal your details and spend your money on our site. They would need access to your email adddress to get the password and this means it is safe for you. 

You can change your password to something more memorable in the edit settings (account setings) tab. If you do this, please keep that password safe. We do not have access to it.

Where do I go to change me security settings?

This is controlled in your “Edit profile”. Simply navigate to the “Account Settings” tab and you can change your security settings there. 

Why can't I see my payment details on the platform?

We don’t hold your payment details. All of that is managed by our payment platform Stripe. This is for your security. Stripe has the highest level of encryption and we wanted to make sure that you were as safe as possible. 

What do I do if my card is expiring and I need to update it?

That’s no problem. In your edit settings go to the last tab to (account settings) and then scroll down to payment update. There is a button to press there that will take you to a secure area within Stripe where you can update your details safely. 

What do I do if during my annual membership I want to leave?

The annual membership as a year long agreement and we don’t offer refunds on this. You will still have access until the end of your payment period. Please let us know if you intend to leave at the end of your year as membership will automatically renew.