Project helps 15 new businesses set up in 11 months
Tuesday, 27th July 2010.
A European Social Fund (ESF) project to provide support and advice to people in and around Haverhill to help them to become their own boss has already seen 15 new businesses set up in the town.
Eleven months after the Haverhill Enterprising Communities project began in September, Menta, which provides advice to new and established businesses in Suffolk, has seen over 80 people plan their new ventures.
The European Social Fund (ESF) and the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) last year gave Menta £124,000 in funding for an 18-month project to help Haverhill residents develop an entrepreneurial approach to improving their economic lives, by helping them to think about starting a business and take control of their future.
The work is part of the national Enterprise Coaching scheme and is tailored to support those who would not normally be able or inclined to access mainstream business start-up support, and are currently not working.
Menta is seeing, on average, 30 people per month seeking one-to-one coaching and business advice at its Hollands Road office in Haverhill, three times the numbers seen last year.
These include start-up businesses who want help with book-keeping, marketing, networking skills and sales techniques.
In addition, established businesses which have weathered the recession are seeking help with growing their business, including advice on taking on new staff.
As part of the project a series of So You Want To Be Your Own Boss workshops were held in Haverhill which examined the pros and cons of going into business.
In addition, MENTA is offering one-to-one business advice sessions for anyone who wants support getting their business idea off the ground and free courses on financial issues, marketing, sales, and e-commerce for those considering self employment.
Project manager Rosanne Kilbourn said: “We have been delighted with the interest we have had from people in Haverhill area wanting to set up their own business.
"Our target is to help 40 new businesses set up by May next year and we are already almost half way there.
"However, the project is not just about the number of new businesses created. It is about giving people who are economically inactive such as the unemployed, those made redundant or parents thinking of returning to work, the self-confidence and skills to look at self employment as a serious option.”
Flower Power run by Sally Hiskett, 31, of Withersfield Road, is just one of the new businesses that has started trading as a result of help given by MENTA under the Enterprising Communities project.
Sally left her job because of ill-health and has set up a business as a florist, specialising in events.
She said: “Menta has provided me with absolutely fantastic support and I would not have got as far as I have without them.
"I really enjoy being my own boss. It is stress free. I would tell anyone considering becoming their own boss to go for it, especially if you have children or suffer from ill-health.”
When Hannah Oakley started to search for ways to keep fit and lose weight after the birth of her daughter Elsie-Rose, she never dreamed she would find a new career and start her own business.
Hannah, 21, a single parent from Haverhill, started watching Zumba classes on the Internet and, using the Latin-inspired dance fitness programme videos on the web, lost three stone of baby weight.
The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat. As a result, she fell in love with the Zumba and signed up to train as a professional fitness instructor.
She gained her fitness instructor qualification in January 2010 and by February, with Menta’s support, she had set up her own business called Wings Of A Dove and was teaching in venues across Haverhill.
Hannah said: “I enjoyed it so much and I was disappointed there were no Zumba classes in this area. So I decided to train as an instructor and set up my own business.
“Chrissy Proctor from Menta has been there for me since day one of my business, providing me with advice, sometimes on a daily basis in everything from how to get help with keeping my finances in order to marketing the classes. It was great to pick her brains and get input from her. I had a one-to-one session with a business advisor which was fantastic and really helped me.”
As a parent who was unemployed, self-employment has now offered Hannah a flexible way of working so that she can provide and take care of her daughter.
She said: “Running your own business can be stressful but it is so rewarding. When you are in a job you go to work and you get paid and that’s it.
"When I look at the money I have made all by myself it is a fantastic feeling. I feel so lucky that at 21 as a single mum I have my own business and my own home. That to me is a fantastic achievement.
“If you are thinking of running a business, take the plunge. If you don’t do now you will regret it. Life is too short to be stuck in a job you do not like!”
For more information on the free advice and courses available through the Enterprising Communities Project for people living in Haverhill and thinking of starting their own business visit www.menta.org.uk/enterprisingcommunities or telephone 01440 768333.
Eleven months after the Haverhill Enterprising Communities project began in September, Menta, which provides advice to new and established businesses in Suffolk, has seen over 80 people plan their new ventures.
The European Social Fund (ESF) and the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) last year gave Menta £124,000 in funding for an 18-month project to help Haverhill residents develop an entrepreneurial approach to improving their economic lives, by helping them to think about starting a business and take control of their future.
The work is part of the national Enterprise Coaching scheme and is tailored to support those who would not normally be able or inclined to access mainstream business start-up support, and are currently not working.
Menta is seeing, on average, 30 people per month seeking one-to-one coaching and business advice at its Hollands Road office in Haverhill, three times the numbers seen last year.
These include start-up businesses who want help with book-keeping, marketing, networking skills and sales techniques.
In addition, established businesses which have weathered the recession are seeking help with growing their business, including advice on taking on new staff.
As part of the project a series of So You Want To Be Your Own Boss workshops were held in Haverhill which examined the pros and cons of going into business.
In addition, MENTA is offering one-to-one business advice sessions for anyone who wants support getting their business idea off the ground and free courses on financial issues, marketing, sales, and e-commerce for those considering self employment.
Project manager Rosanne Kilbourn said: “We have been delighted with the interest we have had from people in Haverhill area wanting to set up their own business.
"Our target is to help 40 new businesses set up by May next year and we are already almost half way there.
"However, the project is not just about the number of new businesses created. It is about giving people who are economically inactive such as the unemployed, those made redundant or parents thinking of returning to work, the self-confidence and skills to look at self employment as a serious option.”
Flower Power run by Sally Hiskett, 31, of Withersfield Road, is just one of the new businesses that has started trading as a result of help given by MENTA under the Enterprising Communities project.
Sally left her job because of ill-health and has set up a business as a florist, specialising in events.
She said: “Menta has provided me with absolutely fantastic support and I would not have got as far as I have without them.
"I really enjoy being my own boss. It is stress free. I would tell anyone considering becoming their own boss to go for it, especially if you have children or suffer from ill-health.”
When Hannah Oakley started to search for ways to keep fit and lose weight after the birth of her daughter Elsie-Rose, she never dreamed she would find a new career and start her own business.
Hannah, 21, a single parent from Haverhill, started watching Zumba classes on the Internet and, using the Latin-inspired dance fitness programme videos on the web, lost three stone of baby weight.
The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat. As a result, she fell in love with the Zumba and signed up to train as a professional fitness instructor.
She gained her fitness instructor qualification in January 2010 and by February, with Menta’s support, she had set up her own business called Wings Of A Dove and was teaching in venues across Haverhill.
Hannah said: “I enjoyed it so much and I was disappointed there were no Zumba classes in this area. So I decided to train as an instructor and set up my own business.
“Chrissy Proctor from Menta has been there for me since day one of my business, providing me with advice, sometimes on a daily basis in everything from how to get help with keeping my finances in order to marketing the classes. It was great to pick her brains and get input from her. I had a one-to-one session with a business advisor which was fantastic and really helped me.”
As a parent who was unemployed, self-employment has now offered Hannah a flexible way of working so that she can provide and take care of her daughter.
She said: “Running your own business can be stressful but it is so rewarding. When you are in a job you go to work and you get paid and that’s it.
"When I look at the money I have made all by myself it is a fantastic feeling. I feel so lucky that at 21 as a single mum I have my own business and my own home. That to me is a fantastic achievement.
“If you are thinking of running a business, take the plunge. If you don’t do now you will regret it. Life is too short to be stuck in a job you do not like!”
For more information on the free advice and courses available through the Enterprising Communities Project for people living in Haverhill and thinking of starting their own business visit www.menta.org.uk/enterprisingcommunities or telephone 01440 768333.
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