The Food Enterprise Workshop is  designed to help individuals from Leicester City who are interested in starting their own food business but need that extra bit of motivational and business support. No prior experience in food business is necessary,  just a passion for food and the ability to prepare and cook your food idea.

The free two day workshop breaks down the key legal requirements of what you must do to start a business  and offers access to free ingredients so you can test your own ideas in a real life market environment.

Also, for a limited time you can apply for a £250 food business start-up grant for participants to buy equipment. The Food Enterprise Workshop is an exciting new opportunity, and the first of it’s kind in the country.  It will give you the chance to have a day in the life of a food entrepreneur in a fun and engaging environment.

Find further information and enrolment form at www.thefoodworkshop.co.uk

Increasingly, we network by
e-mail or through social media, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. That’s
a godsend for shy people. You can listen to conversations and chime in on your
own terms.

But sometimes there really is
no substitute for being there–like when you attend professional meetings,
seminars and receptions, or parties in your community. For those occasions,
knowing how to “work the room” can make the difference between a boring waste
of time, and an exhilarating event that expands your circle.

Walking into a room full of
strangers can be intimidating. The best antidote is to go with a goal. Before
you set foot in the place, think about what you want to accomplish. This will
help you avoid wandering around aimlessly or trying to strike up forced
conversations with people who don’t interest you.

To read the complete article click on the link below

http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2012/02/29/how-to-work-a-room-like-you-own-the-place/

http://mashable.com/2012/03/06/youtube-startup-dollar-shave/

Richard Reed, co-founder of innocent Drinks, has up to £1million that he is making available to entrepreneurs with a brilliant business idea or perhaps a business they’ve already got off the ground. 

Twelve years ago Richard started his business with his two university friends, Adam and Jon, but it very nearly didn’t get started because they couldn’t find an investor.

Today, Richard wants to give the next generation of Great British entrepreneurs a helping hand in getting started.  He’s looking to meet 500 businesses and from there he’ll decide who to invest in. 

To take part in this exciting new BBC Three TV series, you need to be over 18 and will have either started a small business or have a great idea that you really want to follow through with.

The website to apply is launching very soon so look out for updates on their twitter page.

Their twitter is:

@BYOBoss_BBC3

Facebook link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Be-Your-Own-Boss-BBC-Three/365962350095405

http://proactiveresolutions.eventbrite.co.uk/

We have a limited number of places available on our 4 month programme which is delivered through classroom based training, 2 days per week, with additional ‘Get That Job!’ workshops and recruitment events.

 WILL I GET A QUALIFICATION?

YES!! The ACCA Level 2 Introductory Certificate in Financial Management and Accounting.

This qualification will enable you to work in a variety of accounting support roles including purchase ledger clerk, sales ledger clerk and accounts administration. The certificate is suitable for anyone looking to do an introductory qualification in accounting and finance, it is broadly equivalent to GCSE level and no previous academic qualifications are required to study for this qualification.

ACCA is known as the global body for professional accountants and employers will recognise and respect your qualifications and know that you have the right skills needed to get the job done.

WILL I HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING?

NO!! All tuition costs, registration, exam fees and books will be paid for.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THIS PROGRAMME?

The main criteria for eligibility is that you are aged 19+ and claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). If this applies to you then you should be eligible however we can only confirm this once we have all of your details.

CAN I PROGRESS?

Yes!! We hope you will continue to study with us and progress to the next level. You can go on to complete the Intermediate Certificate in Financial and Management Accounting or the Diploma in Accounting and Business. It’s up to you to decide how far you wish to progress and of course you could go all the way and become a professional accountant and a member of ACCA!

WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?

Email your CV to jan@proactiveresolutions.com telling us something about yourself and where you want to be in five years time.

Willpower: Rediscovering Our Greatest Strength distills three decades of academic research (by Roy F Baumeister) into self-control and willpower, which the Florida State University social psychologist bluntly identifies as “the key to success and a happy life”.

…how can we improve ours? Baumeister’s big idea, now borne out by hundreds of ingenious experiments in his and other social psychologists’ labs, is that willpower – the force by which we control and manage our thoughts, impulses and emotions and which helps us persevere with difficult tasks – is actually rather like a kind of moral muscle.

Read the complete article by clicking on the link below.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/07/why-willpower-matters

YouTube Marketing Training stevemillsmarketing.com

Video is fast becoming a key part of successful businesses marketing campaigns. Sisco recently stated that by 2014 video will account for over 90% of Internet traffic. This being the case it is essential that small businesses…

http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=5575569774429077523&gid=3215813&type=member&item=95242910&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Estevemillsmarketing%2Ecom%2Findex%2Ephp%3FId%3D120&urlhash=2cTQ&goback=%2Egde_3215813_member_95242910

But the figures on firm survival rates are not good.

The Office for National Statistics found that only 44% of small firms that began trading in 2005 were still afloat by the end of 2010.

View the complete article by clicking on the link below and see Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden imparting her top tips to those thinking about starting or sustaining a new business.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16394241

The news in December focused on the report by Mary Portas the high street darling and shopping czar. One of her suggestions
for fixing the problem of our ‘outdated’ & disappearing  High Streets was to ease the restrictions on market traders so more people can sell their wares and turn High streets and town centres back into bustling destinations.

Nationally there are as many types of market stall as there are market towns. The last detailed survey of markets was taken by the National
Association of British Market Authorities in 2009 showed there were 1,125 traditional retail markets, 605 farmer’s markets & 350 country markets.

From Market to Mogul   by Kaya Burgess of The Times

The billionaire tycoon & owner of Chelsea FC, Roman Abramovich, started out selling rubber ducks and plastic toys from a Moscow market stall alongside his future wife.

The Superdry clothing brand, now worth £1.2 billion, began life as a market stall run by Julian Dunkerton, who sold clothes at a unit in Hereford that he had bought back from London in bin bags.

Lowell Harder ran a stall at Camden Market in the early 80’s selling her own ethical leather bags and suitcases. Her firm Radley and Co., famous for its Scottie dog logo, is now worth about £150 million.

Lord Sugar started out selling beetroot from a market stall. Then he sold electrical goods from the back of a van bought with his savings. He sold Amstrad for £125 million in 2007.

How to set-up a stall

Monday to Friday Martin Doherty, 46, is a body guard. At weekends he runs a stall at Camden Market in NW London selling corsets, skirts & jewellery. Here is his advice on setting up a stall.

• Start out small, for example by turning up at a car boot sale and paying a pitch fee.
• For bigger markets, approach the managers via their websites or in person. They will try to make sure that your product fits
  with the other stalls.
• Decide if you want to have a stall 7 days a week,
  just for one week or on specific days. You’ll be looking to pay about £125 for a stall at weekends (at Camden Market).
• Keep your prices sensible. If you make your own stuff, work out your base costs and the labour involved, and multiply it by one & half or two.
• Make sure your stall is eye-catching, bold & colourful.
• Engage with customers, build up rapport and get feedback. The most important advertising tool, even in this digital age, is word of mouth.
• The first six months will be a write-off. You need time to get your product & target audience right.
• The most important things are a hot flask, warm clothing and good manners!

Taken from the article ‘You can’t beat the market’   The Times 14^th Dec 2011

2. Analyse – your market place, your current situation, any funding you might need to start up, any advice you need to seek, any legal issues you need to consider

3. Plan – now you’ve got an idea and you have worked out the finances you need to start it you need to make plans.  What specific things do you need to do before you can start the business, including attending any startup workshops such as the free HMRC workshops both online and in person.  Consider writing an action plan of tasks to do (plan the date you want to start the business and work backwards).

4. Check and check again – don’t rush into starting a business, it’s a risky thing to do so you need be sure before you go ahead.  Seek advice from a professional business advisor (check they are a qualified SFEDI advisor), plan your finances, perhaps even save up some contingency budget before you start and discuss it with your partner before you go ahead.

Enterprise As a Life offers workshops on a range of essential business startup topics, free of charge to anyone living in Leicester City.  You can also get access to free mentors to help you in those essential early days of starting a business.

Contact us to learn more on 0116 217 9250 and ask to speak to Kate Cowan.  Or email us at kate.cowan@springtoaction.co.uk

Enterprise As a Life is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Leicester City Council.