PRIME provides free information, events and training to help you start your own business or become self-employed.
PRIME (the Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise) is a charity founded by Prince Charles. “The experience and skills which people build up over a lifetime are an invaluable resource”, he says. “It is madness for society not to make use of this.”
You can sign up for a free start-up pack and newsletters by clicking on the flower symbol to your right. And you can find PRIME support partners in your area at the “Find local help” box, also to your right.
Enterprise isn’t just about youth. People of any age can set up in business, but it’s particularly useful for the over 50s as there are not a lot of other options. Despite legislation supposedly outlawing age discrimination, older people still face difficulty finding an employer willing to give them a job.
A selection from the content to be found on this site is shown below. To find a specific item use the search box at top right, or to see the most recent items go to News.
PRIME’s service promise can be found here. There’s more about the charity itself at About PRIME, and at our other web site www.primeinitiative.org.uk.
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The competition season is now in full swing. There’s still time to enter some of the bigger awards. And on a smaller scale there are also a couple of quick-to-enter competitions with useful small prizes from Paypal and from printing firm Moo.
1. Your Big Year
Your Big Year is a free competition to encourage global citizenship [...]
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Bob Rawal, 57, contacted PRIME in April 2010 and was sent a free start-up pack. Later that month he went onto apply for a Zopa-PRIME Olderpreneur loan.
Bob decided to start up his own business after being made redundant twice in three years. Up until this point he had spent 35 years in the medical needle [...]
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Buried away in the detail of the Chancellor’s budget report is notice of the end of a very valuable incentive for those struggling to work their way off benefit. From April 2012, the 50-plus element will be removed from Working Tax Credit. This means PRIME clients won’t be able to get it any more. This [...]
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Setting up a web site is a high priority by most new businesses. But not everyone has the experience to do it for themselves from scratch - or the money to buy in the expertise from somewhere else.
This is where simple Do-It-Yourself solutions come in. This post updates previous discussion on this topic (see Internet [...]
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Tickets are on-sale today from www.startuk.org or by calling 0844 248 5052.
The Prince of Wales is joining forces this Summer with musicians, comedians, environmental experts and some of Britain’s best known companies to create a unique festival in the heart of London. The Prince is opening up his own gardens at Clarence House, together with [...]
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If you’re over 50 and thinking about starting a business in the East Devon area, then contact PRIME about getting a mentor. PRIME has recently completed training mentors in the area, who are now ready to talk to you. This is a completely free programme.
Here’s what Harri Harrison, who is running the scheme, has to say about [...]
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If you’re over 50 and thinking about starting a business in the Belfast area, then contact PRIME about getting a mentor. PRIME has recently completed training mentors in the area, who are now ready to talk to you. This is a completely free programme.
Here’s what Harri Harrison, who is running the scheme, has to say about [...]
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If you’ve started your own business or have become self-employed after the age of 50, here’s a chance to get some free publicity. We’d like to hear from you. We’re looking for stories to put up on the case-studies section of this web site.
There are two ways of entering. If you use Microsoft Word just [...]
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When PA, Sharon Lawrence, was made redundant at 50, she decided to go it alone and set up her own business as a virtual personal assistant (VPA). Flying Changes PA offers independent secretarial support for £19 - £23 an hour. Sharon says, ‘The more you stick at it, the better it gets. I would never [...]
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To make its material more accessible, PRIME is having its most popular booklets and guides redone as downloadable PDFs that can be printed out on ordinary A4 ink-jet and laser printers.
We are taking the opportunity of also having large-print versions made, with a minimum text size of 16 point (the industry norm is 10 and [...]
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After 30 years in finance and leasing, 58-year-old Robert White has started a new trade as a domestic energy assessor.
West Bromwich man Bob spent 30 years in finance and leasing, as sales manager, business development manager, and managing director. With the recession the market declined, and Bob found himself made redundant three times in three [...]
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Cousins Jackie Hatton, 52 and Denise Lever, 50 have set up a gift shop in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire. The shop offers affordable country lifestyle gifts, which can be anything from handmade soap to second hand furniture. Taking it in turns to man the counter, Denise and Jackie each enjoy a three-four day week, and split [...]
