PRIME business club

Are you over 40, female and thinking of starting a business in any of these areas?

Acupuncture
Aromatherapy
Healthy living
Massage
Nutrition and Diet
Personal Training
Reflexology
Sports Massage
Sports Physiotherapy

If so London Metropolitan University, a PRIME partner, has developed a free 10 day course especially for you.

It starts in October 2008, and there’s still time to apply. Funding is coming from the London Development Agency, and the course will be run in conjunction with NHS London.

London Met will use its tried-and-tested format of running the course in 10 sessions spread over 20 weeks, so you only have to take one day a week away from other commitments or actually starting the business.  Mentoring support then continues for a further six months after the course is completed.

Previous courses in the series have been heavily over-subscribed, so it’s a good idea to apply promptly.

To be eligible you need to be over 40, female and live, work or plan to start your business in London. The course takes place at London Met’s site in Moorgate.

If you are interested, please ring

More details at www.enterprisesontrack.co.uk

STOP PRESS: APPLICATIONS HAVE NOW CLOSED PRIME is hiring. We are looking for someone for the key post of Director of Financial Development, based in our central office in South London. You will be responsible for managing the charity’s finances, improving how we fundraise and setting up a new loan fund for PRIME’s clients.

You will have an appropriate financial qualification, willingness to be hands-on, and the experience and drive to make things happen at an exciting time in PRIME’s development.

Application requests can be sent to prime@ace.org.uk or call 020 8765 7833. Or you can download the application form and background documents below.

Application form

Job description

Briefing paper for finance post.

Please note that only applications on our application form will be accepted.

Closing date: Monday 1st September 2008
Interviews: (to be held in London) on Tuesday 9th September 2008.

With spending on London’s 2012 Olympic bid now projected to top £9 billion, what chance have small businesses of getting their hands on any of the loot?

Well, at least some. You may not be able to grab 10-digit sums, but you can at least bid for some of the smaller contracts on the www.competefor.com site.

The web site is run by the London Development Agency, but you don’t have to come from the London area to participate. Among the opportunities listed are many smaller ones, such as those listed below. Note the broad range, from construction to catering and web services, and the scale, which includes some small projects posted by larger subcontractors.

Ecological Consultancy Service
Description: An ecological survey and assessment is required at the Eton College Rowing Lake at Dorney Lake, due to host the Rowing, Flatwater Canoe/Kayak and Paralympic Rowing events at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Website Development and Ongoing MaintenanceDescription: Ongoing maintenance management and content & functionality development of LDA Climate Change microsites with an emphasis on improving their web presence and their brand. A key element is to provide up to date, useful information relating to all aspects of climate change & energy efficiency that is suitable to be posted on the websites.

Catering Team - required for Aquatics Centre
Description: Catering team required for busy kitchen servicing staff and operatives. Will need to cater for up to 400 people at peak period and deliver wholesome cold and cooked food, to be served during meal breaks. It will be necessary to cater for a diverse workforce including different faith requirements, vegetarians and those seeking healthy diet options.

Office Cleaning - Aquatics Centre site office
Description: Daily cleaning of the Aquatics Centre site offices. This includes a three storey modular block with approximately 150 desks and a 3 storey welfare unit.

Installation of fencing/hoarding
Description: The installation of fencing/hoarding for a bridge within the Olympic Park, approximately 30 metres long and comprising of 18mm ply board on a frame with typical posts 900mm deep in a 1200mm x 600mm diameter concrete foundation.

Miscellaneous Electrical and/or Plumbing Works
Description: Miscellaneous electrical and/or plumbing works as and when required to site offices.

Scaffolding Works
Description: Various scaffolding work as required.

Anti Graffiti Paint
Description: Supply and application of Anti Graffiti coating to concrete structures. This work is to be carried out over a period of two years on multiple visits.

Older entrepreneurs were the topic of Westside Radio’s Friday morning business programme. Presenter Pooja talked to Annabel Rhodes of cosmetics start-up Rhodes to Heaven, and to Laurie South of PRIME. You can listen to the programme on The Big Dream blog.

Libraries can be of great use when researching your business. They can help you form an overview of your market, find likely competitors or even research prospective clients, or do more specialised things like check company names and trademarks or find journalists who might be interested in your venture.

Some of the bigger libraries have extensive collections of directories and hold market research reports that would cost a fortune to buy or access online, but which you can view for free if you actually go along to the library.

The City Business Library, located in the City of London near Moorgate, is the largest specialised public reference library in the country dedicated to practical business information. You can use it for free and there are no membership requirements.

More on the collections

More on services for startups

The library runs regular 40-minute tours and longer two-hour workshops on how to find stuff, which are free.

Here are some dates for upcoming workshops on using the market research collection, all starting at 9.30 in the morning.

Thursday 17 April 2008
Thursday 8 May
Wednesday 21 May
Tuesday 10 June
Wednesday 9 July
Thursday 31 July
Tuesday 12 August

To book a place on any of these courses,  telephone the City Business Library on 020 7332 1812 or email cbl@cityoflondon.gov.uk

The British Library, located between Euston and Kings Cross stations in London, runs a regular programme of workshops on business and intellectual property topics.

The workshops are generally aimed at a small business audience, last a few hours, and are either free or cost a few pounds. But they are often crowded - advance booking is essential.

Here’s a list of selected topics in the next month - click for more on how to book.

Many past talks by inspirational entrepreneurs are available in the podcast area of the site.

The library itself holds a large collection of market research reports, fact sheets on starting different sorts of business, and a searchable database of patents. To use these you will need to get a reader pass, but this again is free.

These services are partly funded by the London Development Agency, but are available to people from across the UK.

Date: Thursday 7 Feb 2008

Time: 2pm - pm

Venue: Granville Plus Centre, Granville Road, Kilburn, London NW6 2BX

Status: PRIME exhibiting

PRIME has a small stand at this local enterprise show, and is giving a talk. The free event boasts a score of exhibititors you can talk to about business, employment and training, and a programme of seminars during the afternoon. Details here.

It’s a drop-in event so you can just turn up on the day. Map and directions. Parking is available on four-hour meters.

Date: Friday 29 Feb 2008 - Sunday 2nd March 2008

Time: Friday 29 Feb 1pm - 7pm, Saturday 1 March 10am - 6pm and Sunday 2 March 10am - 5pm

Venue: Olympia (Grand Hall), Hammersmith Road, West Kensington, London W14 8UX

Status: PRIME exhibiting

PRIME has a stand (tba) at the show, and is also giving talks and holding a drop-in one-on-one information clinic.

One Life is a large event with over 300 exhibitors and a programme of more than 100 seminars. It’s advisable to book in advance for the seminars, which are free.

Tickets cost £15 on the door, or £12 if you book online from the exhibition organisers. They cost £10 if you are over 60. The ticket hotline is on 0844 848 3225.

STOP PRESS
PRIME has a limited supply of free tickets - email prime@ace.org.uk

Nearest tube: Kensington Olympia (District Line). Overground train services run by Silverlink and Southern go to the same station.

“After the contract for the job I was doing ended I suddenly found myself retired at 59. A quick look at my bank balance convinced me I couldn’t stop working completely – and anyway I just didn’t feel old enough.”

Liz Friedrich, now 63, whose garden design business is profiled in Women & Home magazine.

Having already done a design course and been a keen gardener, Liz started in a small way working for friends of friends. But AFTER she had already completed several projects for paying customers she decided she needed more business expertise.

So she enrolled on PRIME partner London Metropolitan University’s Forward at 50 course. (There’s a new London Met course aimed at women setting up health and care businesses just starting up).

Liz’s new business acumen is paying off with a business venture based on feedback she was getting from her customers.

Many of her garden design clients were asking for gorgeous gardens that wouldn’t require them to do any work. Liz’s initial reaction was to patiently explain that that was just not possible. But they still kept asking.

So she’s now launching a Plant Box service with a fellow garden designer. They will sell fully-planted up containers for balconies and patios - and then come round and replant them in the spring and autumn.

The London Development Agency is backing a scheme for new and existing small businesses seeking to raise money in the capital.

Though the scheme is heavily subsidised, applicants do have to pay for some required consultancy - typically five days tailored for you particular business.

More details from www.creativelaunchpad.co.uk or ring 0845 303 7375, or send an email.

Tribal Group, the company running the scheme for the LDA, does have some other projects in parts of the Midlands. These are mostly aimed at new businesses starting up in the creative sector, but this is interpreted fairly broadly. More details on their web pages for Derby, Nottingham and the West Midlands.

Are you over 50, female and thinking of starting a business in any of these areas?

Acupuncture
Aromatherapy
Healthy living
Massage
Nutrition and Diet
Personal Training
Reflexology
Sports Massage
Sports Physiotherapy

If so London Metropolitan University, a PRIME partner, has developed a free 10 day course especially for you.

It starts in February 2008, and there’s still time to apply. Funding is coming from the London Development Agency, and the course will be run in conjunction with NHS London.

We don’t have all the details yet, but we expect London Met will use its tried-and-tested format of running the course over 10 weeks, so you only have to take one day a week away from other commitments or actually starting the business.

Previous courses in the series have been heavily over-subscribed, so it’s a good idea to apply promptly.

To be eligible you need to be over 50, female and live, work or plan to start your business in 1) Barking and Dagenham 2) Barnet 3) Camden 4) Croydon 5) Enfield 6) Greenwich 7) Hackney Haringey 9) Islington 10) Merton 11) Newham 12) Tower Hamlets 13) Waltham Forest or 14) Westminister.

If you are interested, please ring Neneh Faye-Khan
0207 716 7015 or 0207 716 7050,

or email neneh.faye-khan@nhs-est.org.uk

More details at www.enterprisesontrack.co.uk

Three previous attendees at London Met courses feature as case studies on this web site - Linda March, Norma Vondee and Brenda El-Leithy.

Date: Friday 16th November 2007

Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Venue: Keeping It Simple Training, Tottenham Hale, London, N17 9LP

Cost: FREE

Keep It Simple Training is a DTI-approved and LSC Work-Based Learning training and enterprise agency, based in North London.  They are putting on this free event for the over 50’s.

Invitation to a FREE advice, info & networking opportunity

Are you over 50?

Are you interested in running your own business?

Are you looking to raise £10K + to start up your business?

If you are looking for free, impartial and professional business support, we can help you.

To book a place, please book online: here or contact Michelle Harvey at michelle.harvey@kistraining.co.uk
Phone: 020 8275 4230

Venue & Transport:
Address: Keeping It Simple Training, Sentinel House, 1 Ashley Road Tottenham Hale, London N17 9LP

Find out more about Keeping It Simple Training at www.kistraining.co.uk

The British Library, located between Euston and Kings Cross stations in London, is running a packed programme of workshops on patents and other intellectual property topics in November.

The workshops are generally aimed at a small business audience, last a few hours, and are free. But they are often crowded -  advance booking is essential.

Here’s a list of selected topics - click for more on how to book.

A beginner’s guide to intellectual property

Introducing patents searching

Introducing trade marks & registered designs

Introducing copyright

Researching a company

Knowing your market

The library also holds a large collection of market research reports, fact sheets on starting different sorts of business, and a searchable database of patents. To use these you will need to get a reader pass, but this again is free.

These services are partly funded by the London Development Agency, but are available to anyone.

Female entrepreneurs showed off some of the businesses they had set up at a recent event hosted by Barclays Bank. All the women had been on short courses for the over 50s run by London Metropolitan University.

The programme has been running over the last three years, with the typical course lasting for 10 days spread over 20 weeks - this part-time format allowing the women time to actually start their businesses.

Among the new enterprises created are several in the care and alternative health sectors, educational games, dog clothes and importing African musical instruments.

“Businesses set up by older people not only provide a living for the business owner, but are one of fastest growing groups of start-up businesses in London”, said Hilary Farnworth, manager of the project. 

Another 10-day course in this successful series aimed at women over 50 starts on Thursday 20th September 2007 - and there’s still time to apply.

Run by London Metropolitan University, a PRIME partner, this free course offers a tried-and-tested programme of personal development, business training and networking in just 10 days spread over 10 weeks.

So you work on the course for for one day a week between now and December. This format gives enough time to cover plenty of ground on the course while still working on your business.  Sessions are delivered by University staff, professional experts and successful woman business owners.

Move on at 50 is aimed at women who are considering self-employment, as well as those who have recently started and who would welcome training. The course is also suitable for those in work but threatened with redundancy, who want to seriously think through their self-employment options.

You have to complete an Application form - which you can download here, and go through a brief interview to get accepted on the course. There is no upper age limit. The venue is London Met’s campus near Moorgate, but you can live in anywhere within reach for a 10am start to qualify.

Previous courses in the series have been heavily over-subscribed, so it’s a good idea to apply promptly.

If you are interested, please contact:
Katy Roberts or Hilary Farnworth on 0207 320 1573
email k.roberts@londonmet.ac.uk or hilary.farnworth@londonmet.ac.uk

Three previous course attendees feature as case studies on this web site - Linda March, Norma Vondee and Brenda El-Leithy.