Every entrepreneur’s journey starts somewhere, and often it begins with a demand in the local community. The fabric of the local environment can inspire people to take their first steps to self-employment. Embracing this spirit and providing the support frameworks that enable entrepreneurs to flourish can provide a key component in community transformation and providing opportunities to residents.

 

Self-employment often provides a flexible way of working that is better suited to family commitments, lifestyles and skills. For many, it can also provide the opportunity to escape benefit dependency and achieve lifelong ambitions.

 

Sustainable and self-generating communities need these small business start-ups to thrive and create local trade and employment, so helping to foster these opportunities locally is an essential part of any flourishing community.

 

At Pinnacle People we offer a range of services, delivered directly in communities, to support entrepreneurs looking to start their own businesses. Our model provides entrepreneurs with the support and guidance they need to start and grow their businesses, and since 2012 we have helped over 13,000 customers.

 

Sustainable and self-generating communities need these small businesses

 

We work with entrepreneurs from their initial business idea, through planning and start-up phases, and continue to support them once they have begun trading. This support is provided through our network of over 100 expert business mentors who provide both one-to-one support and deliver Business Seminars.

 

Our Business Seminars equip entrepreneurs with the fundamentals self-employment, from preparing a business plan to understanding a customer base, while working one-to-one with customers facilitates business-specific guidance and gives customers the best possible opportunity to succeed.

 

We have had exceptional success working with individuals who are unemployed and considering becoming self-employed. We have been able to provide customers with the tools to help take charge of their lives and establish independence and self-sufficiency. This initiative, starting in 2015 has helped customers create over 5,300 new businesses, and to date over 3,000 have successfully traded for at least six months, with more reaching this significant milestone every day.

 

Self-employment is a cornerstone of community-wide social mobility

 

At Pinnacle People, we believe that fostering self-employment is a cornerstone of community-wide social mobility. The entrepreneurial spirit is an indispensable asset, and by encouraging it we can enrich community life, provide opportunities for its people and inspire future generations – surely a challenge worth taking.

 

Jane Baxter Web

 

 

Jane Baxter is Director of Pinnacle People