Project aim  
To increase participants’ ability to become self-employed, to increase confidence and self-esteem, and to provide networking opportunities for participants to meet likeminded people. Improve participants' quality of life, create positive role models and make them less likely to re-offend. 

Those who decided to take part in the intervention were expected to attend six supervision sessions with their probation officer and three group sessions with Enterprise Exchange. 

Barriers faced 

• Offering the self-employment training immediately after release meant it was competing with other matters around housing and family. 
• Whilst designed to be non-academic, the project still required basic levels of education especially around English and Maths. More could be done to provide additional support for participants prior to the workshops.  

Solutions 

• Participants commented on the ability of the Enterprise Exchange workshop facilitator to break down practical information in an effective way and be realistic about the chances of success.  
• Focusing the training primarily on practical knowledge as well as providing support materials for participants helped to directly address and overcome this key barrier to self-employment.  
• Many ex-offenders did not feel comfortable attending large group sessions or group sessions at all. By keeping the groups small, Enterprise Exchange was able to engage with all participants on a one to one basis.  
• Regular follow-ups and support offered to participants post workshop completion was identified as a key enabler by participants and wider stakeholders alike. 

Impact of the project 
A positive indication that the project has contributed towards an increased ability to manage money and an increased ability to start a business/become self-employed. As of early June 2020, all participants remained engaged with the project and had not yet re-offended, strongly suggesting a positive change in attitude.  

Participants did mention repeated positive reinforcements from the workshop facilitator, suggesting that this might be the case. By running group sessions for individuals who were thinking about self-employment, Enterprise Exchange successfully provided networking opportunities and the opportunity for participants to build relationships with likeminded people.  

One participant mentioned staying in touch with another person and although their relationship is currently more social rather than business focused, this suggests that those who wanted to take up networking opportunities were able to do so. Sustainability, replicability and scalability is the future goal. The extent to which the Probation project can continue is dependent on future funding opportunities. 

“He [the workshop facilitator] thought I was very knowledgeable and complimented my understanding of things. He commended me quite a lot actually. He would always encourage me. He was a brilliant teacher.” Testimonial from participant. 

To conclude 
This is one of our projects, but we also love to support women over 50, those with additional barriers and soon we will have an online self-employment courses aimed at everyone who is interested in starting a business. 
 ​

Transferable Skills, With Love, A Stay-at-Home Mum

We have all been there, the stay at home mum identity crisis. The sudden realisation of the big fat hole in my resume dawned on me. I cared about how I would appear to future potential employers. Now five years on, I can tell you I am not worried in the slightest. Although no awards, promotions or accomplishments will be mentioned on my resume, I am sure of one thing, I am way more confident than I thought.

I am incredibly well-versed in Child Development, meeting goals that include bedtime routines and the ability to work towards tight deadlines, such as the 20-second dash for the potty. I can work well under pressure (running the home in the day and multiple feeds at night). Communication skills include baby sign, lecturing and the reading of body language. A worried mother can research better than MI5, so that surely counts towards research and analytical skills?

Additionally, I can prioritise better, managing multiple tasks at once, for example, feeding, cooking and surfing the internet simultaneously. Let's not forget organisational skills, meals planning, routine setting and sorting out the dreaded Lego. A few final skills I believe I achieved from being a stay at home mum are problem-solving. For example, why isn't she sleeping, why won't she sleep, how can I stop her crying, and how can I eat some sweets without being seen? Lastly, I can divide tasks, share chores and gain cooperation from my pint-sized dictator.

Whilst you may have been out of work for a while and lacking in confidence, just remember you have likely gained skills during your time at home, you never thought you had.

​With love, A stay at home mum xx

Considering the challenges we all faced in 2020 and the many disruptions that happened, you would think how can there be any business startups succeeding. Well, according to data taken from Companies House, nearly half a million businesses were registered in the UK in 2020 (468,371). That’s a lot! 

According to HMRC, 9.9million people were furloughed between April and December in 2020 due to the effects of Covid, so as you can imagine there is a need to be inventive and create alternative ideas and incomes at this time. 

The most popular area for a start-up last year was in retail, there were 22,011 start-ups in this online selling option. Other popular choices included management consultancy, real estate and freight transport. Stats taken from LondonLovesBusiness. This site estimates that almost a fifth of UK adults (18%) have firm plans to start a business in 2021, which is a high number and that’s where we come in, as we specialise in supporting people to move into self-employment to start a business and transform their lives.

We offer virtual online self-employment courses using a mixture of a workbook with augmented reality, 
1-2-1 business advisory calls, accountability support and online tools to take you through each step to understand all that is needed to starting your own business.  

We work with amazing partners such as the Shaw Trust, Thames Valley Housing and Rift. Check out our resource's page for some helpful top tips on how to get started. Watch here some of our client video testimonials. If however, you are ready to launch your business, then we recommend 1st Formations to get yourself registered and to get started.  

We will soon be launching 'Your Business Builder' - our new product which includes our augmented reality workbook, a 52-week journal and the access to our e-learning platform. If you are interested in purchasing this and would like to know more, then please email us at info@enterpriseexchange.org.uk and we will get back to you.
 
 

In September-October 2020, Thames Valley Berkshire Business Growth Hub ran a Pre-Accelerator Programme for 16 participants, which we, at Enterprise Exchange delivered online through live interactive workshops on Zoom and one-to-one mentoring sessions. Each attendee also received an interactive course workbook to further enhance their learning experience, offering them self-employment support. 

The below info is taken from the Thames Valley Berkshire Growth Hub evaluation from the participants.

• 100% felt staff were helpful, flexible and professional. Some of the feedback from delegates included: “I’d absolutely recommend the Pre-Accelerator Programme – I’d do it all over again if I could – it was very helpful and really helped shape my ideas and help me identify areas of focus”

“This really was a life changing programme for me. The facilitators were great – especially Phil. Thank you!”

“Phil is a fantastic course leader – full of knowledge, enthusiasm and encouragement. The course worked really well on Zoom and made it far more accessible to me as a mum of two young children. Thank you.”

“Thank you for putting together a really good programme. What is covered is just right and the supporting workbook we were given has masses more information that we can now go back to and use when we need it. As a trainer Phil was excellent. Doing a programme like this online is not easy but he managed it brilliantly and it was a pleasure to log in every Friday morning to see everyone and hear how peoples’ ideas and plans were progressing. A great group of colleagues on there who I will keep in touch with. All in all well done to everyone who pulled this together!”

“I would highly recommend the Growth Hub and Enterprise Exchange to anyone who needs to be taken on their business journey. The staff are helpful, relatable and no question is too small or too big. It has been really helpful for me and came at the perfect time!”

“The whole programme was amazing and extremely useful. Being able to learn from mentors like Phil and Tony was a great opportunity. I was also amazed at how much interacting with the entire group, despite how different our business ideas were, inspired me to create new services and change my company vision.”

“I am happy with the workshop as it gave me a clearer insight on the benefits of cash flow forecast and also the much needed information that I could possibly get funding. May I also use this avenue to thank the organisers and the hub.”

“The Pre Accelerator Programme was really useful. I feel I now have a framework to think and develop my idea through. It brought home the importance of really understanding the scope of one’s idea and planning properly before jumping in.”

“Phil Ashford is an excellent mentor and we have learnt so much under his guidance. His teaching style is brilliant, making scientific concepts easy to understand in a logical and clear way. Thank you.”

“The course was very good at making more forensic examinations of a business concept and preparing attendants to feel more confident in how to make presentations.”

​“I enjoyed the course and particularly the resources you gave. The book you sent before the start of the programme is great and gives a good/strategic approach to starting a business.”

“The program particularly helped me identify types of business to register, financial support resources and tax preparation in the UK.” 

“I will focus on testing the concept of my business with much lower start up costs than I originally thought. The programme has helped me to focus my planning and my thoughts to have a clear vision of how to launch my business. Before I started the course I was unclear as to how to make my ideas a reality.”

“I am in the early stages and in that sense it came at the perfect time. Going through the different steps on the Programme has been very helpful in breaking it down into manageable chunks so it doesn’t seem too overwhelming. There is still lots to learn but that is part of the fun.”

“I am planning to start trading in November and secure the future of my business by developing strong relationships with at least two universities and three electronics providers over the next 12 months. The Pre-Accelerator Programme gave me the idea of targeting the universities and colleges. Phil’s advice and training I received during the course allowed me to prepare a targeted presentation which I am already successfully using in pitching my products to the potential customers. Connections made during the programme will help me acquire the necessary funding and improve my chance of succeeding in my enterprise.”

“I have now created a business plan I would not have done it without the Growth Hub. This time next year I will have my own online coaching business.”

We couldn't have been more thrilled to have supported such amazing participants to start their own business.

We are so thrilled to share that we are the winner of the National Enterprise Network 2020 Enterprise Engagement Award! Although we have been shortlisted twice, this was the first year we have won.

The National Enterprise Network Awards exist to support and celebrate the achievements of its members and the wider enterprise support sector. The awards look to not only celebrate excellence in the delivery of enterprise support, but also to encourage the exchange of good practice and the development of improved services and organisations. 

Our winning category was to show how we have collaborated in our communities or commercially to bring greater enterprise benefits. Sharing amazing activity we are undertaking that engages with our clients, or stakeholders, or local community in a high impact way. Please see here for an example of the pioneering work we are doing with our participants.

Reflecting upon what has been a difficult year for all, we couldn't be happier to focus on our success and to maintain positivity and drive going forward into 2021. We would like to congratulate all other winners and runners up, who are also integral in supporting businesses to thrive at this time.  ​

One of our amazing participants Julie Siddiqi who created Together We Thrive empowering women in faith communities to be the best they can be, working together to really thrive.

She has been awarded an MBE as mentioned in an article here in the Windsor Observer 

Mrs Siddiqi is also the Founder of Sadaqa Day which she started in 2015 - with the aim of encouraging mosques, community groups and individuals to give something back to the areas where they live.
Sadaqa Day provides a focus for busy people who cannot devote too much time to volunteering.
It is a day of social action - one date in the calendar when individuals, mosques and other places of worship, schools, women’s and community groups, scouts and guides groups can get involved - undertaking ready-and-waiting small tasks that one volunteer can deal with in a day.

We couldn't be more proud and inspired by her achievements. 

We share below a case study from one of our participants.

In May 2019 I became unemployed after a 46-year career as a Dental Technologist. After 6 months on job seekers, no interviews, and no work I was put in touch with the “Shaw Trust” for further help. During one of my meetings the subject of my hobby of painting was discussed and I was told that I could be referred to Enterprise Exchange for business start-up support if I wanted to start my own company.

Enterprise Exchange gave me a “Planning and Starting your business” workbook and a timetable with targets to reach, arranged phone calls from a Business Adviser & Case Manager. Between the book and the calls, I was given guidance of things to do and not do, given goals and organised into starting my own company over the period of 3 months, with backup consultation for another 6 months assistance if needed.

The whole course has been of great help to me, organising me to where I have got to so far in my new career. I am sure without this aid things may have been different, mistakes would have been made, time and money wasted.
​
Now I am a self-employed artist with my own company selling artwork on a regular basis, by doing this I have extended my career and bypassed the problem of long-term unemployment.

Jessica Moody – J.MOODESUK CIC. 
 
Introduction 
I am Jess, I am 26 and have 3 children (one stepchild) and a fiancé. When I was deciding to try and start my own business, I didn’t have the first clue where to start. I was a single mum of 2 and just knew I didn’t want to go back to work and miss out on my youngest's growth. I had no experience other than that I knew I loved helping people and I wanted to do something to make a difference to peoples lives. I initially wanted to set up a play café, but the idea of a mental health café came after having my son. I suffered with PND with him and when I was better I knew that I wanted to help others not feel the way I did.  
 
How Enterprise Exchange helped 
Enterprise Exchange helped hugely. Without them I wouldn’t have even got off the ground. They gave me the knowledge and confidence in my business that I needed to make the steps to becoming my own boss. Phil was an amazing support and always gave me tips specific to my business, so that I knew what I was doing when I had to go it alone. I only met Benna once as my son got poorly during the process, but she was a great help too in getting me driven to do the next steps needed without rushing ahead of myself. I can't thank you enough! 
 
How things have progressed 
During the process I had set up a website, Facebook and Instagram page, ready for when my business was up and running. I qualified as a CBT Practitioner and I created a logo to get myself known and also handed out business cards where I could. Just before COVID I ran my first event which although not many people showed up, it got my name out there more and gave me the confidence to go for it! Since the process finished I have paid someone to create me a logo and made new business cards and have adjusted my plans and scaled down. I managed to raise just over £1000 from a crowdfunding scheme set up by NatWest. This money is what has allowed me to actually start my business as I had no savings at all. 

I have been running free Zoom sessions and got my first client (although not a paying client due to not being registered, but she has agreed that she wants to carry on as a paid customer too). I have purchased a workspace for my garden to run sessions from there. I have added a little candle business as a sideline to start getting my name out elsewhere too, which are calming candles I will also use in my sessions too. I registered yesterday as a CIC and it has already been accepted so I am officially registered and ready to go. Now is time to try and get the clients in! 

I am so pleased with how far I have come, although it's been slow and steady, I got the understanding of how to run a business successfully and with a lot of obstacles in the way, with my son being hospitalised and I still managed to get to where I am today!   
 
"Thanks to Thames Valley Housing for allowing me to join a course with Enterprise Exchange, they have changed my life!  Without them I would be having to look at going back to a 9-5 job, which would feel impossible for me with an ill child that needs me. They have given me the freedom, the confidence and the knowledge to run my own business and make it a success. Thank you to Phil from Enterprise Exchange, for believing in my idea and helping me to get to a reasonable scale to allow this to happen for me! Truly amazing people! Couldn’t recommend you more!" 
 
Social media links 
Instagram: @moodesuk
​Facebook: moodesuk  
Website
Work number
Work email
 
"Thank you again so much for your support along this journey. You truly have changed my life for the better and I am so grateful!"
 
 
 ​

We are very excited to announce our new remote self-employment training programme, which is a remote course using augmented reality (see below video), that can be completed online and via the phone, making it accessible without traveling to a location. We can make this service bespoke to your client group. For example, each person could be allocated a business advisor to support with the practicalities of business set-up and a case manager to help with general organisation and building self-confidence.

The course is aimed at the following people who:

• Have a business idea and require support with planning, forecasting, sales and marketing​
• Need help to complete a business plan and all financial forecasts, before the business launches​
• Is motivated to be gainfully self-employed

 
What is included:

• Participants will receive an augmented reality business start-up workbook (see below video), all essential business templates, a weekly timetable template and a business checklist with the top 10 tips for setting up a business
• Participants will receive our innovative, easy to use, enterprise reality platform, where throughout the workbook, they will be able to access training, information and support videos via a specialist app which they can download onto their smartphone and/or tablet
• Fully trained and experienced business advisors will give phone and email support to enable your participants to put together a realistic business plan and give them all the confidence needed to start their business

• One to one video conferencing support via Teams or Zoom
• All participants will be assisted with accessing funding via the government start-up loan scheme or Fredericks Foundation if appropriate

This remote self-employment programme is already being delivered across the UK as part of the Work and Health Programme and is the first of its kind. In the current climate, this programme will deliver the best quality self-employment support to your participants at the highest level.

The current course we are delivering is a 9 month support programme, including peer to peer support groups and in-work support. We can tailor our programme to suit your organisation and participant needs, either for the short or longer term.

Please see an overview of our core self-employment programme content here.
For further information please email us here.