In November 2023, former employees of Cooper Tires seized an opportunity by participating in the New Business Worx startup program, provided by their previous employer, designed and delivered by the Swindon and Wiltshire Growth Hub as part of their redundancy assistance package.
Fast forward to Spring 2024, and these individuals find themselves at a significant crossroad in their lives, embracing the entrepreneurial path and venturing into self-employment as they embark upon their exciting startup journey.
Lee Wyatt has undergone retraining and launched his own enterprise, Wyatt’s Oven Cleaning Services, based in Chippenham, serving both private and corporate customers within a 15-mile radius.
“I am really excited about this sole trader business malarkey; I feel full of positivity. I used (and am still using) the notes and business plan template from the 2-day course delivered by Rachel and her colleagues at The Swindon and Wiltshire Growth Hub... it was essential for a large proportion of my decision making during the pre-start and start-up phase of my business”.
Father and son team Kevin and Jamie Bennett set up their Melksham window cleaning business, Clear Finish Window Cleaning in March 2024. The business is growing very rapidly with lots of returning customers.
“My son and myself had the idea of starting up our own business, window cleaning, last year, we were unsure where to start in setting up our new venture. We were invited to the Swindon and Wiltshire Growth Hub workshops, where we met Rachel. The course was fantastic in every step of the way to starting your own business. There was much to learn and Rachel was brilliant and enthusiastic to make us realise we could achieve our goal. As our name suggests, we are on for a very clear finish.”
Rachel Sweet, in her role as Business Navigator at the Swindon & Wiltshire Growth Hub, assists individuals in uncovering their potential, facing and dealing with business challenges and exploring the possibilities and solutions to start and/or grow their businesses.
"It's incredibly gratifying witnessing the blossoming of self-confidence and helping to inform and up-skill those who confronted redundancy. They recognized their chance to learn, plan for the future and get started on their self-employment journey."
The team at Swindon and Wiltshire Growth Hub offer advice, guidance and assistance to help both fledgling startups and established businesses throughout the region. If you would like to find out more about how we can help you on your journey, contact the Growth Hub at [email protected] or call 01249 477287.
