Introduction to enterprise

This the first stage of the Outset programme and includes 8 x 3 hour workshops designed to help people decide if self-employment is the right choice for them.

We say to our clients: “Give us 24 hours of your life and we’ll help you change the rest of it.”

Throughout ‘Introduction to Enterprise’, clients work to identify their own skills and strengths and use them to develop their business ideas. They learn the importance of real market research to de-risk their business concepts and look at barriers that might get in their way to achieving their enterprise goals. They also learn about the reality of running a business, touching on marketing and sales techniques.

By the final workshop, each client produces a feasibility document for their business idea. This gives them and their advisor a clear indication of whether they have the potential to launch a sustainable business and progress on to Business start-up, the second stage of our programme.

What makes our innovative approach so successful?

Outset is a not just another business support company: it encompasses a unique approach and ethos that influences everything – from the way we engage with our clients, to the delivery of the programme.
We aim to actively challenge the perceived stereotypical idea of who should be a business owner, engaging with those furthest away from economic and social inclusion such as: the long-term unemployed, ex-offenders, BME, under 25’s, women and people with physical and mental impairments. Traditional business support provision has never fully reached these demographics.
The way we engage with people is also a key differentiator. It is often not easy to encourage participation from our client groups. We go in to communities, developing relationships with local venues and projects and holding pop-up information events at Jobcentres, supermarkets and shopping malls. This has been very successful in creating grassroots awareness, encouraging more people than ever to explore enterprise as an option.
Lee Hughes
Director of Enterprise, YTKO Group