Be your own Boss
The Royal British Legion’s business support programme, Be the Boss, is now open to all former members of HM Armed Forces, regardless of their discharge date.
Be the Boss is a service offered by The Royal British Legion with Poppyscotland aimed at supporting UK Service Leavers to set up and develop their own small businesses. Funded by the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Legion and its partner organisations offer training in small business start-up, assistance in writing a business plan and financial forecast, access to funding to assist in the launch or growth of a business, and periodic health checks and business mentoring to applicants resident and trading in the UK. Existing businesses seeking funding must have been trading for no more than two years.
Be the Boss has three main components: information, advice and guidance, grants and loans, and mentoring and business health-checks. Eligible and successful applicants may apply for funding support based upon their type of business, level of engagement in the start-up training, and viability of their business plan and financial forecast.
Be the Boss Project Co-ordinator Shegufta Rahman of The Royal British Legion said: “It was our belief that the skills developed by personnel during their careers in the Armed Forces such as leadership, teamwork, communication and attention to detail are compatible with running a successful business - on the evidence of the innovative business proposals submitted this is certainly the case.
“We are looking forward to learning about the positive difference this funding is making to businesses in the South Wales area and how it is not only helping ex Service men and women but local communities too.”
Blue Orchid has been successfully delivering the programme on behalf of the Legion for six months now and a number of clients in South Wales have engaged with the programme. An effective partnership has now been forged between Business in Focus and Blue Orchid allowing the two organisations to offer a very powerful and rounded package of support which involves training, funding and advice and mentoring from two advisers.
Heather Hayes, Managing Director of Blue Orchid, which has offices across the UK, said: “We are really pleased at how much interest the scheme has generated in the first few months since its launch. We are now into an exciting phase when the funding is starting to work for the businesses.
“Our close involvement with the businesses continues as we apply our proven expertise in business development to help the funding work hard for them and hopefully allow their enterprises to flourish.”
Chris Humphreys, a client from Nelson, is setting up a Fraud Investigation business covering the South Wales area. In December 2009, Chris Humphreys returned to South Wales having served in the Armed Forces Military Police. He struggled to find employment until Amalgam Training invited him to become one of their trained Accident, Incident and Fraud Investigators. With a police and transport background this was an ideal opportunity for Chris but he needed financial support for the training and business advice. Local agency Business in Focus directed him towards the Royal British Legion’s Be the Boss scheme for help and that led to a meeting with Be the Boss advisor Nevil Ingram.
Nevil worked closely with Jane Way from Business in Focus to help develop Chris’s business idea and start him on his business journey.
Chris Humphreys said, ‘Both Nevil and Jane have been instrumental and a rock for me in these important early days of setting up my business. Especially following the illness of a close family member, both Nevil and Jane provided the support and understanding to get me back on my feet and say that this is something I can do and do well. The one to one support I cannot fault and have such gratitude for them both. Self employment is not for everyone, but if think you have what it takes then all I say is go for it. Who knows if you don't take your chance now you may regret it in the future’.
Jon Evans, head of business support at Business in Focus said “We are delighted to help Chris start and grow his business and we will be pleased to offer this high level of service to all servicemen and women who are thinking of starting or have recently started a business. We are also delighted to have formed an excellent working partnership with Blue Orchid.”
To access the programme, you must be registered on Civvy Street website at www.civvystreet.org/betheboss and logged in to apply for Be the Boss.
