Bognor business beginners benefit from bespoke course
Local business people from the Bognor Regis area have celebrated completing a year-long business start up course at a graduation ceremony at the University of Chichester.
Such is the success of the course that a fully-funded version is being launched in May: the ‘Hot House’ programme is aimed at anyone with a new business idea or in the early stages of starting up.
The course teaches vital skills and knowledge to help make business ideas a success and is a mix of business coaching, peer to peer workgroups and business knowledge workshops.
The latest group included a diverse mix of local businesses including: My Sisters House, a social enterprise and women’s centre based in Bognor; Lindley Safety Solutions, a health and safety consultancy; and Polkadot Stripes, a Bognor-based giftware shop.
“We are delighted to be able to award certificates to our ‘graduates’ for successfully completing our Business Start Up Hot House programme,” says Gareth Sear, Business Start Up Manager at the University of Chichester.
“They have been working together for 12 months to grow and develop their own businesses and they have had great successes with help from the Hot House. Delegates have raised funds for their ventures, opened new pop up art galleries and launched new businesses.
“The mix of people on the programme and how well they worked with each other has had a positive influence in their personal and business development, resulting in the successful completion of the programme.”
Six burgeoning entrepreneurs joined the programme to receive tailored guidance and support as they developed their existing business or refined their initial ideas to get their new business off the ground.
“The Business Hot House programme provided me with knowledge and tools to start to plan and develop my business,” says Alison Lindley of Lindley Safety Solutions.
“The best tools were the business model canvas and the verbal business card that really helped to structure on paper and in my mind what I was trying to achieve and how to get there.
“We had monthly structured and facilitated peer-to-peer groups which created an environment where I could share ideas and knowledge with other businesses and we have continued to do so since finishing the programme.”
Julie Budge, the Founder and Development Manager of My Sisters’ House CIC, adds: “The Hot House course provided me with brilliant support, information and connections. This led to real-time difference to our social enterprise with access to other business brains – the scope for ‘thinking out of the box’ was just fantastic.
“It was time very well spent and has resulted in new business, valuable connects that will make a real difference to us, and a business plan that has proved a very popular and well commended document.”
Chris Clarke of Keris Designs says: “The course was excellent in providing the tools for any start up business and we are now using some of these tools and concepts and have incorporated them into the business.”
Following on from the success of this programme, the University is running a free ‘Start Up Saturday’ on 18th April where those looking at starting their own business can get inspiration, information and a taste of how powerful peer group support is when growing a business.
This is followed by a networking lunch to meet other local entrepreneurs.
For those who want to take this one step further, the University is running a six month Hot House programme, fully funded by Arun District Council for anyone living in the Arun district, starting in May.
There will be the opportunity to find out more and sign up for the Hot House course on the 18th April but to avoid missing out on this powerful and successful programme, call 01243 793459 or email thedec@chi.ac.uk now.
Whatever your business idea, the Hot House programme includes a range of stimulating and challenging business and personal development activities that are ideal for people from all work and educational backgrounds.
To find out more, visit www.chi.ac.uk/hothouse.
