Think Enterprise October 2018

Think Enterprise Publication | October Edition

READ INSIDE

CONGRATULATIONS

LSBU RE-APPROVAL TEAM SPOTLIGHT

LEIGH SEAR

MENTORING CASE STUDY

KEITH & SUE

BGE ACCREDITATION

THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND

Vol. 24

THINK ENTERPRISE October Edition Vol. 24

CONTAC T US 53 Coniscliffe Road Darlington DL3 7EH 0845 467 4928 newsletter@ioee.uk ioee.uk

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SARAH TROUTEN, IOEE CHIEF EXECUTIVE Welcome to our October edition of Think Enterprise which is jam packed with great news stories from our centres and partners and we’ve got in to the seasonal spirit this month with some Start up horror stories, some funny, some scary and all definitely to avoid!

Last month I was delighted to visit and be involved in the re-accreditation of London South Bank University as one of our prestigious Centres of Excellence, we are very proud to work alongside LSBU and look forward to working even more closely over the coming three years.

Our Centre of Excellence status is open to all organisations who can demonstrate their commitment to enterprise and entrepreneurship why not get in touch and take your enterprise provision to the next level.

This month we feature a fantastic mentoring case study which if you haven’t already dipped your toe in to mentoring then I’m sure this article will motivate you to! If you’d like to mentor, the first port of call is our mentoring essentials module, which can be found in the IOEE Campus.

We also caught up with a learner from IOEE Enterprise Academy Royal Bank of Scotland, who explained just how important the programme has been for their own development and career journey. This month sees the start of a series of articles which will highlight members of our team and the great work they do to support small and micro businesses, we kick off this month with our very brilliant Leigh Sear whose energy and passion for supporting small businesses is unparalleled.

We also hear from our IOEE Fellow and blogger David Morgan who has been on his journey of research in to the US. David’s findings will feed in to our research currently being undertaken by Manchester Metropolitan University and ultimately support better infrastructure and ecosystem for offenders wishing to choose entrepreneurship upon release.

Finally we hear from our very loved blogger Enterprisingly Me who updates us on her troubles, dilemmas and this month daiquiris!!

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CONTENTS 6. congratulations london south bank university A huge congratulations to London South Bank University who were recently successful in their re-approval as an IOEE Centre of Excellence.

8. mentoring case study: KEITH & SUE We look at Keith Willett, a mentor with a wealth of knowledge and experience behind him that makes him an exceptional mentor for Sue.

»» p.8

10. THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND: INVESTING IN INTRAPRENEURIAL SKILLS We spoke to the Royal Bank of Scotland employee Keith Crombie who has recently undertaken the IOEE-Accredited Business Growth Enabler (BGE) Accrediation. Discussing the importance of adaptability for business’ and employee’s in a rapidly evolving digital world. »» p.14

»» p.12

12. SPOTLIGHT ON: LEIGH SEARS This month we’ve spoken to Leigh Sear the Chief Executive at SFEDI Solution. We give you an insight into Leigh’s background as well as some of the fantastic projects SFEDI Solutions is currently involved in around Europe.

14. START-UP: HORROR STORIES

»» p.6

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Seeing as it’s Halloween we reach out to you, the readers and asked for your business horror stories. We got more than we bargained for! We’ve included some of the scariest and most amusing!

18. MARSTONS: CELEBRATING SUCCESS Congratulations to Marston’s Telecoms Group for having been named West Midlands Macro Employer of the Year 2018 at the regional final of the Apprenticeship Awards.

20. OFFENDER TO ENTREPRENEUR - PT. 3 David Morgan our IOEE Member of the Year gives us a final piece from of his Winston Churchill Memorial Trust travels to the United States of America.

22. enterprisingly me

»» p.20

A monthly feature where you can follow entrepreneurial adventures. Names have been changed to protect the innocent but everything you read really happened, making for a very interesting read.

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CONGRATULATIONS

We would like to extend a huge congratulations to London South Bank University’s Business School. This month IOEE CEO Sarah Trouten and Ruth Lowbridge of SFEDI visited LSBU and after a comprehensive re-accreditation visit we are delighted to announce they have been re-approved as a Centre of Excellence for a further three years.

Centre of Excellence status is our flagship organisational accreditation for organisations who promote and deliver enterprise skills development. Centres of Excellence recognise the importance of creating and sustaining an enterprising and entrepreneurial culture.

LSBU have once again demonstrated their commitment to Enterprise and Entrepreneurship through some of the fantastic programmes and modules being offered by the University.

We spoke to Angela Darlymple who is the Director of Education Student Experience who had this to say about London South Bank Universities reapproval “Following three years of close collaboration with the IOEE we are delighted to have been reapproved as an IOEE Centre of Excellence.

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This will enable us to continue our commitment towards embedding Enterprise Education within the School of Business here at London South Bank University (LSBU) within the curriculum and as extra curricula activities.

As a School we work very closely with out Centre for Research Enterprise and Innovation and this accreditation demonstrates the work we are able to do with our student body to enhance their enterprise skills development and employability prospects, something that is important to us as University of the Year for Graduate Employment, Times Higher.

The relationship with the IOEE has enabled us to grow our student led Business Solutions Centre and gain IOEE accreditation for our students studying on our Undergraduate Business programmes and we look forward strengthen this relationship in the future.�

mentoring case study: keith & sue Keith and Sue Mentoring From running 1980s record labels to events for business start-ups and SMEs, Keith Willett has a wealth of knowledge and experience behind him that makes him an exceptional mentor to those taking the plunge with a new business venture. In 2017 Keith began mentoring Sue Poole, who spotted a gap in the market for a 'Virtual PA’ and set up Sphere Admin Solutions. This month we chatted to Keith and Sue about how mentoring inspires you to look at work with a fresh perspective.

Keith’s Story Keith worked for Lloyds Banking Group for 42 years, predominantly as a Relationship Director in Manufacturing.

In this commercial and corporate banking role, Keith helped start-ups and SMEs through running inspiring events and hosting thought-leading content from worldclass speakers. However, Keith first cut his business teeth in a much less conventional career.

Keith says: “In the early 1980s I was a musician in a band that released records through its own - let’s say 'truly independent’! - record label, and we were played by the likes of Radio1 and John Peel. We funded the label through gigs and record sales, and handling this as well as marketing actually gave me a great grounding in what it takes to set up and run a small business, even if it’s been a very different career path since then!”

After years of working in a large organisation, Keith felt both inspired to 'give something back’ and to look at business from a different perspective. Last year he was introduced to Sue Poole, who was in the early stages of running her self-started business, and Keith and Sue are fast approaching their tenth mentoring session.

Keith says: “My day job is all about providing solutions, so I thought it would be very interesting to put this default work mode aside and support and encourage mentees to find solutions for themselves. The first time they make decisions they can find it challenging, but you see their confidence grow and, as a result, their business grows too, and seeing this process is very rewarding.”

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Keith and Sue’s mentoring took the shape of monthly phone calls or informal meetings over a coffee, which would act as way of benchmarking how far Sue had progressed with her plans and their agreed agendas.

Keith says: “We’d speak on the phone or head to a coffee shop somewhere, as this is a good neutral ground where relaxed and productive discussions flow. It’s been my role to be a sounding board and give an independent viewpoint.

Sue mentioned that she liked the way I agreed agendas to make the best use of the time, and we’ve explored several new packages that she’s offered to businesses to help them make their working lives easier.

“Sue offers a time-saver to support people and enable them to be free to do what they do best - she’s a real force for good in her business community. I’ve seen Sue take some setbacks and knocks from third parties along the way, but she’s come back stronger as a result. She’s a lovely, warm person to talk to, and she’s demonstrated that she’s an excellent person to do business with. She is quick to build trust and she offers a great service that’s now been so useful to several grateful businesses.”

Whilst taking on a mentoring role could be considered an additional job in an already busy working life, Keith explains that he has found it to be quite the opposite.

Keith says: “If anything, spending a couple of hours a month on preparation and a call for a mentee actually enhances the work-life balance. It’s so interesting learning what their business plans are, and their ideas are inspirational.

“Learning to hold back from just giving out the answers to problems can be challenging, but it’s so much more powerful when the mentee comes up with the ideas themselves. You’re unlocking that potential and seeing people and their businesses grow. For any aspiring mentors out there, I’d advise them to find the time to sign up to the training course. It’s straightforward and it’s accessible, and it’s all that stands between now and a very rewarding and interesting part of your working life.”

Sue’s Story Sphere Admin Solutions may be in its early stages, but Sue says this new business venture actually brings her right back to her roots. Two years ago Sue left a job that she loved, but felt no longer worked for her life, and so she decided to combine her skills and passion with an acutely spotted gap in the market, and Sphere Admin Solutions was born.

Sue says: “It’s mainly what I’d done all my life, lots of PA and admin roles at a very senior level. I basically decided to go back to my roots, to what I really enjoyed – which is organising people’s lives! I’m an exceptionally organised person in every area of my life - my ideal sideline would be organising people’s wardrobes, as I would absolutely love it, but I’m not sure that’s a viable option!

“My inspiration for SAS actually came from doing some personal property renovations. The contractors are prepared to work every hour you’re paying them to work, and I started to think – when are you doing your paperwork? They were obviously buying stuff for this job, never mind the other jobs they were doing, and it got me thinking - as a small business you have to take the work that pays and it’s hard to do these administrative jobs, because you simply can’t do everything. I thought there was a gap in the market to take on these elements of a business, allowing the client to concentrate on the bits they do best.”

Sphere Admin Solutions covers everything from putting together invoices, credit control, managing diaries, making and receiving important calls and writing up business plans, to conducting research for a project or a book – and even running that project or writing that book.

you objective advice. That’s what has been invaluable about having a mentor. Keith not only has masses of knowledge and experience, but he’s someone who I can bounce ideas off, who can help me to take that idea and properly put it into focus.

“In one of our recent meetings Keith commented on how much I’d grown in confidence over the last year, and I realised that I have. I’m a control freak who wants everything yesterday, and Keith has kept me grounded and focused on taking one idea at a time, setting out that idea to work on for our next meeting. Taking those measured steps makes you look at your business from the outside and see how much it’s evolving, and that’s a fantastic feeling.

“What’s particularly exciting is that what I’ve learnt from Keith has not only underpinned my business plans, but that I can then pass that on and apply it to my clients’ business plans too. So what I’ve learnt from Keith I’m able to pass on even further, meaning his mentoring has a much wider reach than just me and Sphere Admin Solutions. I can’t thank Keith enough for his support so far, and this mentoring programme is worth much more to me than words can say. I’m only a year and a half in and I already feel like I’m moving mountains – who knows where I’ll be in another year’s time!”

Sue’s mantra is 'organising your world to save you time’, and she has the energy, passion and belief to make waves in the business world. However, Sue says that much of her business confidence is new-found, and cites the support of her mentor, Keith, as being one of the reasons she has developed her confidence over the last 18 months.

Sue says: “It can be a very lonely world, starting up a businesses. You’re working on your own, and family and friends are too close – and too polite! - to be able to give Think Enterprise | 9

INVESTING IN INTRAPRENEURIAL SKILLS In a newfound world of portfolio careers, Keith Crombie is one of a decreasing number of people who have been with one employer all of their working life, with a longstanding banking career at the Royal Bank of Scotland.

This month we chatted to Keith about undertaking the IOEE-accredited Business Growth Enabler (BGE) programme and the importance of adaptability for businesses and employees in a rapidly evolving digital world.

Keith joined the Royal Bank of Scotland straight after leaving school, following the ‘standard banking’ career path from Office Junior to Personal Mortgage Adviser to Business Manager. His current role of Business Growth Enabler was created in 2016, and Keith was one of the first employees to undertake the BGE programme.

Keith says: “My BGE role covers the Scottish Borders along with East & Mid Lothian.

At the Royal Bank, we believe it’s our role to help businesses succeed. We want to become more than simply a provider of financial services to small businesses and we’ve been working hard to build trust with customers, by improving our services and doing more to meet their needs. My role, as a Business Growth Enabler is a key part of this ambition. One of the exciting points about this IOEE-accredited programme, is that it helps me to think outside the box and put myself in my customers’ shoes – to see things from their perspective.”

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Keith’s role at the Royal Bank of Scotland predominantly surrounds giving his customers direct support and guidance that helps them to take their businesses to the next level, but another part of his role is organising events. These free events are open to any small business, whether they bank with us or not. We give advice and information on subjects ranging from the fundamental, such as Sources of Funding, to Cyber Crime and Making Tax Digital – both current issues for small business owners.

Keith says: “I provide information and help to a variety of businesses throughout the year, from those who retail on the high street, to industrial companies and small businesses in the agriculture sector. I particularly enjoy meeting businesses that are now established and are looking to grow and expand. It’s exciting to be on the journey with them, helping them to achieve their goals. They’re very inspirational – and their commitment and focus never ceases to inspire me.”

“I think it’s particularly interesting to see how the financial sector is changing so rapidly.

New technology and processes are being introduced faster than ever these days, so it’s important to move quickly as times change. However, this also applies to us as employees, not just our customers. At the start of 2016 the Business Growth Enabler role didn’t even exist, and I couldn’t have predicted then that I would be undertaking this role now, which shows you just how quickly businesses change and adapt and

evolve.”

The ability to evolve is fundamental to helping businesses succeed, and Keith tells us how the BGE programme has helped him to understand the challenges businesses face, at the same time as developing professionally himself. One of the benefits of the BGE programme is that it enables employees to study in small blocks to gain their accreditation, and the qualification is transferrable and can be taken with them if their role ever changes.

Keith says: “The BGE programme has definitely given me a greater understanding of the many challenges that small businesses face on a daily basis. It has allowed me to gain knowledge of how important it is that customers have both the time and tools to allow them to operate efficiently and that they know where to go for help and support.

For someone operating their own business

they are responsible for so much more than just the standard day to day activities of the business.

“However, it has given me a new qualification too. The BGE accreditation I hold is the equivalent of a diploma level qualification, and it’s great to know that if there was something new that appealed to me or that I wanted to try, having my BGE qualifications would stand me in good stead.

I am certain that it enhances my standing in my local business community, and also with my colleagues within the banking sector. It’s a qualification that I worked very hard to achieve, and one that I’m extremely proud to hold.”

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SPOTLIGHT ON: LEIGH SEAR

As a first part of an upcoming series this month we’ve sat down over coffee with Leigh Sear to find out what’s going on at SFEDI Solutions.

So lets get to know about more about Leigh and what his role is within SFEDI is. “I am Chief Executive of SFEDI Solutions which is part of the SFEDI Group. Our value proposition is to make a difference through enterprise learning and skills development. We do this is in different ways including: developing national occupational standards, undertaking applied research projects, creating innovative enterprise learning and skills programmes and enterprise education materials.

We do this with a range of clients in the private, public and third sectors. So, a typical week may involve facilitating a workshop with a group of ownermanagers of micro-businesses or managers in a golf club, creating learning materials to support owner-managers exchange experiences with other

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owner-managers, assessing learning portfolios, attending an enterprise research conference and a meeting with someone who would like to work with us.”

SFEDI Solutions works with a wide array of clients from many different sectors and Leigh often finds himself working on several projects at once.

So what projects are currently being undertaken?

“I am working on a number of interesting projects at the moment. I am currently writing some learning and skills materials for an Erasmus Plus project (see http://coopinproject.eu/en/) which is exploring how to support businesses and organisations with introducing and implementing social innovation. As part of the project we are creating a series of mini-games for an online educational game – so I am out of my comfort zone somewhat!

We are currently testing learning and

skills materials with small businesses and education and training professionals in the green economy (see https://www. green-entrepreneurship.online/).

So, if you would like to get involved with the testing please do get in touch!

I am also working on the Captured programme with Newcastle University Business School – we are busy recruiting owner-managers of micro-businesses for the next series of workshops which will start in January 2019 (see https:// blogs.ncl.ac.uk/captured/).

As you can see SFEDI Solutions are involved in a range of interesting projects and we will keep you up to date with developments on these projects. So how does the work of SFEDI Solutions benefit you, our IOEE members?

This is what Leigh had to say: “In a number of ways. First, through various Erasmus Plus funded projects we are creating different sets of enterprise learning and skills programmes and materials – members can get involved in the testing of these and/or their rollout.

For example, we are involved with a really interesting project which is developing an enterprise learning and skills programme for migrants and refugees which can be delivered using mobile technologies (see http:// learnonthego.eu/en/).

We are looking to profile stories in the materials of migrants and refugees who have started their own business and education/training organisations doing something different to support migrants and refugees on the journey from idea to action. Second, as we are working with a range of different organisations across Europe we come across examples of good practice in understanding and

supporting different aspects of starting and growing a business. We share these through articles in the IOEE Think Enterprise newsletters.

It’s clear to see that Leigh massively enjoys his work, but what is his favourite part? Leigh said “Meeting people. I am really fortunate to get paid to meet a wide range of people who have really inspiring and powerful stories to tell.

Hopefully through what we do we can support them on their enterprise journey.”

We also asked Leigh, where do you see the future of SFEDI and are there any objectives you’re currently working towards?

“It is an interesting time as the enterprise learning and skills landscape is changing dramatically. There is less publicly-funded provision so different organisations, such as large corporates, are entering the market. Also, the way in which enterprise and entrepreneurship education is being delivered is changing – e.g. shifting online, more customer-led programmes etc. This will create a range of opportunities for SFEDI in the nearfuture to continue to make a difference through enterprise and learning skills development.

And finally with so much going on what is it you do in your spare time when you get a moment to yourself? Leigh said “Outside of work, I enjoy time with the family, reading (I’m currently reading Detroit 67 by Stuart Cosgrove which is a great read), listening to music from the 80s and following the mighty Pies (Notts County) and Bears (Chicago Bears in the NFL).

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Think Enterprise | 15 Names have been withheld to protect the innocent (and not so innocent!)

The Passport to Enterprise and Employment range of qualifications support individuals through the development aof the knowledge and skills realating to personal enterprise development and how this can support in playing a part in the community and the wider society.

3 KEY AREAS PERSONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT EMPLOYABILITY KNOW HOW SELF EMPLOYMENT ESSENTIALS It also supports individuals to explore either how to search for sustainable employment through the development of the knowledge and skills to be a productive member of staff or to explore whether self-employment is a valid option as a career pathway and what would be involved in taking this forward.

Whether supporting learners develop their personal and social needs, helping an individual find sustainable employment or supporting the next generation of budding entrepreneurs, the Passport to Enterprise and Employment qualifications offer a fully flexible solution to meet all your needs.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE & how to become an academy

All learners receive complimentary membership of IOEE upon completing their qualification.

IOEE membership provides access to a wealth of enterprise knowledge and support including access to: • • • • •

The IOEE virtual enterprise campus A range of online tools, resources and webinars Our monthly publication ‘Think Enterprise’ Mentor support Answers to enterprise questions from other members and IOEE resident experts.

MARSTON’S Celebrating success

We’re thrilled to announce that our partner Marston’s Telecoms have been named West Midlands Macro Employer of the Year 2018 at the regional final of the National Apprenticeship Awards.

The National Apprenticeship Awards celebrate outstanding apprentices and employers for their commitment, passion and achievements.

Hosted by the National Apprenticeship Service, the awards give people and businesses an opportunity to showcase how apprenticeships have made a real difference to their company and their careers.

They’re the most prestigious awards in the industry and we’re thrilled to have learnt that Marston’s have won West Midlands Macro Employer, in partnership with their training provider Lifetime Training.

The national winners will be announced at a special ceremony in November, where the expert judging panel will select one winner and one highly commended in each category.

Marston’s ensure their Apprentices get the absolute most out of their Apprenticeships, an approach Apprenticemakers applaud.

Developing Mentoring Skills To Support Apprentices Apprenticemakers we have created an engaging and enjoyable one day workshop which provides an introduction to mentoring for those taking on a mentoring role to support apprentices.

The Support Your Apprentices Need

Participants will be immersed in an interactive and thought provoking session that develops an individual’s skills and abilities in order to become a successful apprentice mentor. This workshop also supports individuals looking to build upon their current skillset & develop their wider people management skills.

What People Have Said

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Part 3 Travelling to the US - Researching the Offender to Entrepreneur Journey My final week of my USA experience saw me travel to Raleigh / Durham in North Carolina. Fortunately Hurricane Florence had passed by and everyone that I saw had escaped any effects.

My first stop was to meet up with Inmates to Entrepreneurs (I2E). Jaclyn Parker is the Vice President of Programs and was an excellent point of contact in enabling me to connect with the organisations that I met later in the week. I had the pleasure of spending time with her and Kristin who is responsible for community relations, as well as being able to speak to AJ Ware who is the Co-Chair of the organisation and been involved since its inception back in 2009. I2E have been supporting returning citizens by running community courses over 8 weeks and cover a wide range of topics including sales, marketing, finance and legal requirements. They provide a wide range of videos to provide additional resources to support their program. They currently operate in 4 locations, and I was able to attend a class run in the Durham Rescue Mission that was facilitated by Lawrence Carpenter who is a mentor and has been running a successful cleaning business since 2002. He was able to draw on his considerable business knowledge and experience to make the class a lively and interesting space.

I2E support over 100 participants a year with these programs and area looking to expand to the New York area. They had an advert running in the airport terminal so looking to attract a wider audience.

My next stop was to meet up with Community Success Initiatives. Their mission is: to help make the world a better place through programs that help individuals and communities be aware of personal growth and “success” principals, inspire others to reach their potential, and help to build vibrant and healthy communities.

I was interested to learn of the their work as was able to spend time with Dennis Gaddy (Executive Director) and Ho Haraydi who has developed the “Project Managing Your Life” which is a workflow driven life coaching base.

This includes a practical workshop and a tailored coaching package to support the coachee to achieve the goals they set. If you want to be a successful project manager - Dr Ho’s mantra for success is “Get things done, make things happen” They provide the opportunity for second chances and use the coaching, entrepreneurial training and their network of other re-entry specialists to enable people to move forward with their lives.

My last stop in Raleigh was to meet up with Anthony O. Vann and his team at Correction Enterprises. It works within the North Carolina Department for Public Safety and it is a not for profit organisation that provides the opportunity to develop jobs skills for men and women in 30 prisons across North Carolina. 2600 people daily are in their workshops learning valuable skills in 18 different industries that can be utlised upon release. This includes laundries and sewing as well as re upholstery, furniture manufacturing, signage and specialist training such as braille. They receive the standard prison wages for being employed.

They also offer propriety products for sale to state employees and organisations (such as cleaning products) that offer competitive pricing due to its buying power from its suppliers.

They also offer an apprenticeship pathway as well as running an initiative called PIE. This is where companies can partner with Correction Enterprises and use the talent pool to provide additional capacity when seeking to expand their

production output. The employees are paid prevailing wages and get other worker’s compensation coverage. The companies cannot displace their own employees. It is an opportunity to gain a living wage whilst in custody to reduce the financial barriers upon release.

There is a first class re-entry team run

by Michael S. Lockamy that utilises a network of companies to match candidates with vacancies that lead to a sustainable career.

Correction Enterprises is one of the top 3 organisations in the sector in the country has a turnover in excess of $90 Million per annum. It was a privilege to meet such a dedicated team and learn of the work they do. On the way out I was taken to their showroom to see examples of their workmanship.

My final meeting was with Tommy Safian, the Founder and Executive Director of Refoundary, based out of the Old Navy Yard in Brooklyn. Refoundary have piloted a 18 month paid fellowship in Los Angeles and New York to develop life skills, financial education and craft skills in a fully supported pathway to a crime free future.

The program aims to create long term career opportunities utilising their artisan fellowship in upcycled furniture, craft goods, entrepreneurship and skills.

Their model enables the candidates to be employees of the company in the first three phases, being able to earn a regular wage whilst learning “on the job” how to develop their business skills. Over the first 12 months the candidates continue to be an employee and by selling their own upcycled and craft products they generate revenue for the business they are gaining a greater insight and a track record for the future.

The model allows the candidates to then decide to take up their incubated business fully or seek employment drawing on their 12 month experience to be an asset to a company. The success of these 2 pilots has enabled: •

10 businesses to be incubated in LA and NY.

•

125 people are now employed.

•

ZERO RECIDIVISM.

One of the incubated business is Cambui Custom Craft. I had the privilege of meeting with Gene, the founder who owns a joinery workshop producing high quality furniture. He has been able to hone his skills and turn them into a means of earning a living.

Gene is a great advocate for the program and states “As I work with materials other people have thrown away, I FEEL

I’M RECLAIMING MYSELF. When others see I’ve made something of beauty and value, and they buy it. I feel like they see the beauty and value in me, too” Clearly Gene has been on a tremendous personal journey and I was humbled and privileged to learn of his story first hand and see some examples of quality of his craftsmanship.

The success of the program is a credit to Tommy and the drive and passion of the team to provide a high quality and intensive supported re-entry program.

It tackles head on the key reasons for recidivism: secure employment, financial literacy and personal development to gain a strong foothold back in society and showcase their value and worth.

buses, subways and a lot of shoe leather it’s done.

This experience has been one that will live with me forever. I have been astounded, humbled, excited, informed, inspired and met people that I hope I will be able to develop stronger bonds with, even from afar. People that are willing to grasp a better chance when presented with it will succeed with the unwavering support of these individuals and organisations.

In my opinion we are all human and deserve the best life we can have.

I’ll finish with a quote from Winston Churchill “The true guide to life is to do what is right”

So, after travelling in excess of 15,000 miles visiting 6 states, 5 different prisons, numerous amazing organisations and people via trains, planes, greyhound

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‘Enterprisingly Me’ is a monthly feature where you can follow my entrepreneurial adventures. Names have been changed to protect the innocent but everything you read really happened.

I hope my story inspires you to take your first steps, or if you already have, then it lets you know you’re not on your own. Starting and running a successful business isn’t about being perfect. It’s about loving what you’re doing, learning from your mistakes and keeping the faith!

Well as Meatloaf famously sang ‘two out of four ain’t bad’ or was it ‘two out of three ain’t bad’? Anyway, for us its two out of the four people we chose who ‘aint bad’ and the others are starting to show their true colours and its not pretty colours! I’m getting too good at linking to songs and although I wasn’t that keen on a lot of Cyndi Lauper’s stuff I rather liked her ‘True Colors’ – see how I’ve changed into US spelling to get the right vibe going…

Well two of the newbies are already showing their true colours and their vibe is not a good one – one isn’t happy with where she is sitting and the other seems to have a problem moving furniture. OK I know it wasn’t in the job description but if we need to move tables around to accommodate visitors then whoever’s available to do it gets the job. There’s an additional set of skills needed to work in a small business which includes being extremely flexible and accommodating – within reason of course.

It started like this – we had a last minute booking for one of our new training rooms and they wanted it set up boardroom style. That meant moving some of the tables and chairs – all on wheels so not a Health and Safety issue before you start! Alright, as a marketing manager you might not expect this to be part of your job but responding to a request for help from another member of your team is definitely part of your job. The fact that the other team member asking for help was more junior shouldn’t have mattered but judging by the disgruntled looks and the constant sighing it obviously

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did matter. Not a good sign in the first week of coming into the business and something I need to face head on before it gets out of hand. The challenge that comes with letting something seemly small like this go is that it has the potential to completely change the dynamic of the team.

The desk thing is something else – we decided that the best place for the new admin manager to sit would be in a small office behind the reception area. However the new admin manager thought she should sit in the main office with the rest of the team. We’ve soon realised that she loves to chat and although we want everyone to get along and work as a team that doesn’t mean spending a large part of the day discussing your family, your favourite tv programmes, films, holidays and your plans for the weekend.

How do you strike the balance between encouraging people to work together and discouraging constant banal chatter? So giving her an office of her own seemed like a good compromise – only ten steps from the main office it’s far enough away to provide distance but not too far away that it causes a communication problem.

Well her face was a picture and not a pretty one….. oh dear you’d think we’d asked her to work out of the toilet.

As she stomped around the office I was wondering what she would be like with our customers if she was being like this with our staff. Isn’t it amazing how people can react to situations including seating arrangements, access to

a window, size of desk and even down to the number of drawers in a desk. I remember someone I worked with being asked to move to another part of the same room and being insistent that they take their own desk with them as it had three drawers and the desk they were asking her to move to had only two.

What is that all about? Why are people so territorial?

They often forget who the ‘things’ they become so attached to belong to. It’s like the person who claims their pens, stapler, ruler etc belongs to them and even writes their name on them in case someone accidentally claims them as theirs.

Luckily, the new admin manager decided that having her own office was a step too far and handed her notice in at the end of the first week. So exasperating but a lot easier than struggling with having to look at ‘the face’, if you know what I mean. Surely having your own office would be a bonus for most people, particularly those people who realise that being employed means that your employer will expect you to actually work and not be providing you with an extension of your social life.

Note to self : make sure Claire has something substantial to eat before partaking of the falling down water and keep an eye on how many were being partaked (I know its not a real word but I just like the sound of it). Having a taxi driver refuse to bring us home after she was violently sick in the taxi queue wasn’t helpful (quite embarrassing actually) especially as we had to ring my new partner to come and collect us in his car which had to be valeted the next day to get rid of the smell. I’ll spare you the details but enough to say that the strawberry daiquiris looked a lot better going down than coming up! Being a business owner on a relaxing night out is not always relaxing as the feeling of responsibility for my staff never leaves me. Its difficult to explain but I seem to carry this responsibility around with me constantly and see it as both a blessing and curse.

Did you notice I mentioned my new partner – early days but things could be looking up on the personal front …….. wish me luck! Have I recruited and selected the right one? Only time will tell ……..

Me x

Managing the expectations of the new Marketing Manager may prove to be a bit more challenging however she seems to be doing the right things in terms of getting to know both our business and our potential new customers so I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt at the moment and hope our ‘way of doing things’ rubs off on her. We’re arranging a night out which usually helps raise the team spirits in more ways than one!

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