Work that fits around your life

Shirley Drummonds – through Spiders Web Solution balances a growing business around childcare

Shirley Drummonds a single mother with seven children founded Spiders Web Solutions in April 2010 to give herself the flexibility to balance her family commitments with using her skills and experience to develop a social enterprise consultancy business. Previously, she had worked on a voluntary basis with community groups supporting disabled and other minority groups.

Until January 2010 Shirley was Chair of Lewisham based Fun Fizzical providing active gym and dance sessions for 4-16 year old children from disadvantaged backgrounds. When she heard about the free support available from South East Enterprise to people wanting to work for themselves she realised that she could turn the many hours of voluntary time she was devoting to this into a viable business.

As Shirley says… “ I have a lot of experience to offer, but because of my family commitments a 9-5 salaried job was out of the question. To keep my skills up to date I involved myself in local community programmes as a volunteer. This made me realise that there was a gap in the market for somebody to start a professional management consultancy service to fill the skills shortages in many of these community groups.

I couldn’t believe it when I heard about the free support and advice that SEE provide people wanting to start businesses, I realised that I could that being my own boss would give me the  flexibility to balance work with my family life. SEE advisers gave me sound practical advice on setting up and running a business, marketing and accounting; this gave me the knowledge and confidence I needed to start Spiders Web Solutions”

SEE, have been supporting residents of Greenwich to set up successful new enterprises as well as those wanting to grow existing businesses for over 20 years. The School Gates Enterprise programme is funded by Greenwich Council to give parents who want to work for themselves the support they need to start their own businesses. It is delivered through a mix of enterprise workshops and individual coaching at nominated schools in the borough. All participants receive a Certificate at a Graduation Ceremony to acknowledge their efforts and achievements.

SEE will support School Gates graduates throughout the trials and tribulations of starting-up their business and, through its other support programmes, continue to offer free advice and guidance in the critical first years of trading.

To find out more about School Gates Enterprise and SEE’s other range of business support see their website www.seenterprise.co.uk or send them an email info@seenterprise.co.uk

Celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week with South East Enterprise

On the 18th November in celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week, South East Enterprise will be hosting an evening event at the Trafalgar Tavern. It will be an informative and entertaining evening with guest speakers.

• Mark Sesnan help build Greenwich Leisure into a £60 million social enterprise. Be inspired and learn from his experience
• Rob Shaw from Epiphany Solutions, an expert in Online Search Marketing will be demystifying the tools needed to market your business online, from Pay Per Click to Twitter, SEO to Facebook. Which tools should you use?
• Guest appearance from Guru John Popolini, a satirical/parody character on the world of speakers and experts. Are you ready to laugh and learn at the same time?

We will also be showcasing some of the local businesses that we have worked with during the year and you will have the opportunity to network with like-minded business people while enjoying a buffet and light refreshments.

To receive your personal invitation to this networking event, please contact South East Enterprise on 020 8305 2222 or by email info@seenterprise.co.uk.

Specialist support for London businesses to maximise their success in raising finance

In today's tough economic conditions raising finance can be a daunting prospect for many South London businesses. Working with Grant Thornton, South East Enterprise (SEE) offer expert support to help business owners and managers make the right choices as to the type of finance they require. SEE Advisers will work closely with them to turn their ideas and plans into attractive propositions for banks, business angels or venture capital investors.

Under the support programme businesses receive:

• Two hour individual consultations with a SEE adviser

• Minimum of 12 hours one to one business support

• Tailored support in preparing a business plan for the banks

• Help in identifying other sources of finance

• Support in understanding the key issues when applying for debt finance

• Introductions to banks and other lenders

The programme is heavily subsidised, whilst the first two hour support session is free, businesses are required to pay a contribution fee of £200 if they decide to move forward.

For further details email gk@seenterprise.co.uk or tel: 020 8305 2222

This comprehensive programme is under the Solutions for Business 'Understanding Finance for Business' and is part-funded by The European Development Regional Development Fund and LDA. Click here to view a PDF outlining the programme.

Benefit from the Business Coaching Club

A problem shared is a problem halved.

Business owners frequently feel isolated, lonely and stuck due to sometimes having a limited network and peer group, and are unable to share experiences with people who can understand and at the same time offer solutions. The coaching club was set up with exactly that in mind - to help you to find solutions to your problems and at the same time grow your business.

It is based on the 'Masterminding principle' where two or more individuals get together to accomplish a goal, activity or result. Large established businesses already recognize the value of coaching  as being a longstanding and powerful motivational tool;  SEE's intention was to create a supportive group where local business owners, each with the potential to grow, could meet regularly to share problems and experiences, set specific goals and be accountable to each other. The initial Coaching Club programme (put together by Morton Patterson) took place over 4 months, during the summer with fortnightly sessions on average lasting 2 hours and a maximum of 7 participants per group.

How joining the coaching club can help you?

• Increased confidence and clarity about your business
• You get the benefit of differing perspectives, input and feedback.
• The opportunity to build your network and access connections that you might not have on your own.
• A sense of accountability and inspiration from the group
• Greater focus towards achieving your goals.
• Find solutions to problems that may have been unresolved for some time

A recent participant was quoted as saying, "For me the coaching club has been really helpful not just with the business but with my personal development too. When you work for yourself and at home it can get a bit lonely and you can lose perspective. The coaching club has provided me an opportunity to discuss issues with other people... I have already learned so much and grown as a person. It is invaluable."

If being a part of this unique club appeals to you, in the first instance you will need to complete an application form. Places are limited for the club as we want to ensure that only committed applicants apply.

We will be holding open sessions on the 28th October and the 25th November from 11am - 1.30pm, where you will have an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about how the coaching club works. Please click here to download an application form, or the frequently asked question sheet.

If you would like to find out more  please contact South East Enterprise on 020 8305 2222 or email info@seenterprise.co.uk.

Lewisham Council - Green Enterprise Grants

Get back 50% of the costs of 'going green'

Through its Green Enterprise Grant, Lewisham Council is offering businesses based in the borough 50% of the costs of ‘going green’ – up to a maximum of £10,000.

You can use the money to invest in:

• new ‘green’ products or services
• low carbon skills staff training
• creating new `green’ jobs
• reducing the energy or fuel your business uses
• research for new ‘green’ market opportunities
• energy-saving equipment.

If your scheme is approved, Lewisham Council will give you 50% of the costs towards your project and guide you on raising the additional finance. 

How to apply

World's Biggest Coffee Morning

SE Enterprise are taking part in the World's Biggest Coffee Morning, a Macmillan Cancer Support annual event. We will be hosting a coffee and cake morning on Friday 24 September 10.30 - 12.30 for women entrepreneurs. The coffee morning will provide women in business the opportunity to network in a friendly forum -

•     Be inspired by guest speakers
•     Meet like-minded business women
•     Make new business and social contacts
•     Exchange ideas, share knowledge and experiences

On this occasion there will be a charge of £3 per head payable on the day and a small charge for the Prize Draw tickets. All proceeds will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support. Please support the charity and take advantage of this networking opportunity. Bring along a good supply of your business cards and leaflets. Contact us for your personal invitation by calling 020 8305 2222 or email info@seenterprise.co.uk.

Free Advice for SE London Business Owners

SE London business owners can get free advice about online sales and promotion through the worldwide web.
 
The net gains of having a website are explained as part of the free support offered by South East Enterprise (SEE).
 
The  agency in Burney Street, Greenwich, has been supporting  prospective, new and existing business owners on all aspects of business management for more than 20 years.
 
Funding from Greenwich Council and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) means expert advisers are now offering free training workshops and one-to-one advice sessions to businesses keen to have an online presence.  The IT and e-business training support looks at the first steps to starting an online business through to website design, search engine optimisation, selling and taking online payments to editing digital images and web site reviews. 
 
SEE area director Jeremy Hedger said: “In the space of 10 years the worldwide web has revolutionised the way businesses promote and sell their products. Today all the big high street names offer an on-line service and having a web presence is now vital for any small business trying to increase its market share or win new customers. It’s often difficult for business owners to know where to start but we can help them grow their businesses through managed and targeted planning. Our adviser team have run successful businesses themselves and use their experience and expertise to help clients meet their objectives by providing impartial and practical advice tailored to meet their specific needs”
Jo Pye is the director of Greenwich-based internet publisher Carousel Internet Publishing Ltd, which was set up in 2004.
 
She contacted SEE for support in developing e-commerce facilities and attended SEE’s E-Business & IT workshops including ‘Selling Online & Taking Payments Online’.
The firm has also benefitted from one-to-one in-depth support with SEE advisers to develop a viable growth plan.
 
“SEE have de-mystified the whole process of selling and taking payments online, they have given us the confidence and knowledge to really develop this for our business. These courses are invaluable for small businesses,” Jo told GT. 
 
Learn more about Carousel Internet Publishing at www.carouselinternetpublishing.com 
 
Limelight Entertainment is a thriving theatrical production company launched in Charlton in 1995.

 
The company is now based at the IO Centre in Woolwich Arsenal employing eight people and specialises in the sale and marketing of theatre merchandise. Traditionally show merchandise was only for sale at the theatres where the shows were performed but the company has been able to set up an effective on-line sales site so customers can order and pay for theatrical merchandise on-line 24 hours a day 7 days week - even when a show has stopped running.
 
Limelight has worked with well-known theatre productions including ‘Grease’ and ‘The Sound of Music’ and is currently focussed on supplying Peppa Pig’ merchandise for a new show which hits the London stage for pantomime season.
 
Limelight’s project co-ordinator Alison Grant attended SEE’s Business Growth Programme with colleague Paul Woolsey.
 
She said: “We had been selling through traditional points of sale at theatres and other pantomime venues but realised that many potential customers were not able to buy the merchandise they wanted at the theatre itself. As you can imagine many of our customers are children who do not always have enough pocket money to purchase on ‘the day’. This was losing Limelight sales too, so we set ourselves the task of adapting our existing website to sell ‘Peppa Pig’ merchandise on-line.”
 
Paul added: “We soon realised that there were no ‘quick fixes’  and were becoming more and more confused with the expensive solutions that web designers were suggesting. A timely visit from a SEE adviser changed all that, and we soon learned how we could quickly build an effective and user- friendly site which showed the items we sell and we were selling online in two weeks!”
 
Limelight’s  website is at www.thelimelightgroup.co.uk
l For further information about the free IT on e-commerce business support on offer through SEE visit www.seenterprise.co.uk call 020 8305 2222 or email jeh@seenterprise.co.uk