About

About us

Our vision

Enterprise exchange are a social enterprise who change lives through entrepreneurship. The founders recognised that people with additional barriers were not only intimidated by mainstream business support, but had what it takes to start up on their own and become their own boss. We have worked with over 1000 people to inspire, teach and mentor them into beating the system and realise their dream. Our research led us to run a program that is practical, inclusive and values confidence building and self-esteem as much as the practical steps to starting up on your own.

We have supported our clients by running mentoring programs with the managers of Blue Chip companies such as John Lewis and Legal & General to break down prejudices, up skill staff and give leadership and support to our start-ups. All our clients and partners recognise that Enterprise Exchange believe in and support the individual in their desire to change above and beyond societies expectations. We are instrumental in the cutting edge of start up support innovation in the criminal justice system, partnering with the National Offender Management Service, the Centre of Entrepreneurs and The Prisoner Education Trust to take start up support to the next level.

Our Team

Phil Ashford
Director
phil@enterpriseexchange.org.uk
07740 022 797

Phil is an experienced and accredited business adviser with a background in both the private and public sector, specialising in pre-start up business advice for people with additional barriers. He has delivered business planning workshops and one to one business start up coaching for a range of people from disadvantaged backgrounds. He has also lectured in schools, colleges and has delivered enterprise awareness programmes with underprivileged teenagers throughout Sussex. Phil has experience at a senior level at Panasonic UK, The Pensions Regulator, University of Brighton and digital marketing agency, Site Visibility.

He is the former director of the East Sussex Gateway, a Business Link service which provides pre start up support for people with additional barriers. Due to his extensive experience in Sussex, Phil has links and contacts both with agencies and business organisations across the region. He has taken part in the NEWCEP steering group and the City Skills and Employment Group in Brighton and Hove. Phil lectures at German universities on mentoring.

Phil has a MBA, a Diploma in Performance Coaching, is a Prince 2 Practitioner and is a SFEDI Accredited Business Adviser. He is also a registered Growth Accelerator coach, PTTLS qualified and DBS checked. He is a volunteer mentor for the Brighton Business Community Partnership and a Chairman of Trustees for the charity Furniture Now in Lewes.

Benna McCartney
Director
benna@enterpriseexchange.org.uk
07811 058 500

Benna is a qualified coach who trained with the Coaching Academy and has run a successful coaching business since 2003, specialising in confidence and self esteem building and effectively managing major life changes. She worked with Chichester College as a Community Business Coach, helping unemployed individuals start up their own businesses. Benna is well versed in coaching offenders, ex offenders, long term unemployed and others with additional barriers and also has close links to a network of local organisations for referral purposes.

Research has shown that it is very difficult to go into self employment without a solid foundation to work from on a personal level, and helping to build this is where Benna’s strongest talents lie. Her methodology is dependent on looking at each client’s specific life experience and needs, to determine what kind of powerful questioning techniques need to be used with each individual.

Benna is an experienced entrepreneur who has run eight of her own businesses in total since leaving college at the age of 18. She is a SFEDI Accredited Business Adviser, PTTLS qualified and DBS checked.

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