P E T-X i C A S E S T U DY Josh Hall, age 21 from Nuneaton, is unemployed and on Universal Credit and has attended a number of PET-Xi courses in the past which have helped him to develop his employability skills. He has a keen interest in building and refurbishing computers and had always wanted to set-up his own business in this field, so thought PET-Xi’s Business Futures programme would provide the perfect opportunity to build his knowledge and develop his skills to launch this.
JOSH’S STORY
Support provided by PET-Xi The free six-week Business Futures programme provides budding Warwickshire entrepreneurs with a range of business support and advice as well as the opportunity to take part in a Dragon’s Den-style pitch for the opportunity to receive a £1,000 grant to help launch their idea. It aims to support jobseekers across the county to develop their entrepreneurial skills to launch a business and become their own boss. The course includes pre-recorded content, enabling participants to take part at a time that suits them, as well as live weekly webinars, and participants are allocated a business mentor and can receive a free logo design. Josh was given access to the pre-recorded online sessions which focus on topics including business structure, registration, developing a business plan, social media, marketing and competitor analysis. His business mentor also helped him to develop a business plan for his company Nexuro Limited, which sells refurbished computers, laptops and electronics. Keen to keep products affordable for customers, he was given advice on achieving this while remaining profitable. Josh then pitched his business idea to a panel of judges and was successfully awarded a grant of £1,000 to help launch his business. Gary Drake, of PET-Xi, said: “Josh was extremely enthusiastic about his business idea which will help people in the community who can’t afford brand new computers, laptops and other electronics by giving them the opportunity to purchase ones that have been refurbished.
BUSINESS FUTURES
BUSINESS FUTURES
“We loved Josh’s business idea. It not only has a focus on sustainability and the environment, ensuring that old electronics are re-used rather than being sent to landfill, and will support a lot of people in the community who might be struggling. “Our aim with the programme is to support people within the Warwickshire community and give small businesses the opportunity to develop and prosper. “We were extremely pleased to award Josh a grant of £1,000 to develop his business and look forward to hearing more about his success in the future.”
Outcomes Josh has now built a website, launched the business and is promoting it on social media. He said: “I build my own computers so was keen to develop this hobby into a business, so the Business Futures programme provided me with a fantastic opportunity to do just that. “It has been incredibly helpful and has really given me an insight into how to both launch and run my business, and I was given some excellent advice by my mentor. “The cost of living crisis is hitting people very hard so I will be targeting the financially restricted and enabling them to purchase electronics by keeping everything affordable, and I received a good insight into how I can achieve this while still generating income. “I was extremely pleased to be awarded the £1,000 to help get my business off the ground – it shows real confidence in my idea. I will be using this to purchase stock and develop my website as I grow the business.”
Together we work as one Business Futures is a government-funded programme through the UK Community Renewal Fund, which is allocated locally through Warwickshire County Council. The six-week online programme is delivered by PET-Xi and is open to Warwickshire residents aged between 16 and 65 who are unemployed.
If you would like to do the same course as Josh we would love to hear from you! To sign up call Gary Drake on: 07852 030 334 or email: gdrake@pet-xi.co.uk