BizFizz Coaches at their June Quarterly meeting in Hastings

The sky's the limit
A man came to see the BizFizz Coach in Horden for help with a funding application to start a painting and decorating business. In the course of the conversation it emerged that he did not really want to be a painter and decorator but to make some money to get his hang-gliding instructor's license. Hang-gliding was his passion. The Coach is supporting him to develop a business around being a hang-gliding instructor rather than a painter decorator.


Valued support
"Being a BizFizz client means I have the valued support of a professional business team to guide me in my new business. The help, advice and services I have received from BizFizz during my coaching by Celia, in areas that I am not that familiar with has been of huge benefit to me and my approach to my business has changed for the better in that I have a better understanding of what needs to happen to make things happen!"
BizFizz client Peter Hargreaves, The Stage Management Company

 

New Economics Foundation
3 Jonathan Street, London, SE11 5NH. Tel: 020 7820 6300 Fax: 020 7820 6301
BizFizz National Co-ordinator (nef): Natalia Fernandez
Bizfizz Programme Manager (nef): Elizabeth Cox
www.neweconomics.org


The Civic Trust
2nd Floor, Essex Hall, 1-6 Essex Street, London WC2R 3HU.
Tel: 020 7539 7900
Fax: 020 7539 7901
BizFizz National Co-ordinator (Civic Trust): Lynne Jones
mobile: 07731789654
BizFizz Programme Manager (Civic Trust): Paul Squires
mobile: 07703743418
BizFizz Project Coordinator (Civic Trust): Bridget Orr
tel: 0207 539 7909
www.civictrust.org.uk
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BizFizz in action

BIZFIZZ PETERBOROUGH

BizFizz is proud to announce the appointment of our latest BizFizz coach. Pauline Heron took up her post in Peterborough in February 2008. This takes the total number of BizFizz projects currently running to 21.

BIZFIZZ COMES TO SCOTLAND

The first BizFizz project in Scotland is being facilitated by the Port Glasgow Community Regeneration Centre, known locally as 7 1/2 John Wood Street. Port Glasgow is in the midst of a £400 million regeneration initiative, Riverside Inverclyde, and residents of the town are actively concerned about its impact on local businesses, community cohesion and the environment. The Inverclyde Community Development Trust supports local communities in the area through regeneration and business centres, such as 7 1/2 John Wood Street, which provide a range of programmes and services including care, advocacy and employability. BizFizz will be a key component in their work locally.

BIZFIZZ GROWTH

The BizFizz approach was developed jointly by nef and the Civic Trust in 2001 to provide business support to people in communities experiencing economic disadvantage, and challenge the mis-conception that there is a lack of entrepreneurs and enterprising ideas in these communities. nef and the Civic Trust has piloted and tested the approach in 13 communities across England, and we bring with us 5 years of UK experience and learning of working with communities to support the enterprise using this model.

The approach was piloted in 4 communities for two years from April 2001 – March 2003 with the support of the Small Business Services Phoenix Development Fund in:

  • Easington and Horden, County Durham
  • Jarrow, Tyne and Wear
  • Thetford, Norfolk
  • Tuxford, Nottinghamshire

Following on from the success of the piloting of the BizFizz approach over the previous two years, in June 2004, 8 new BizFizz projects started in the communities of:

In 2005, a new project started in:

The diversity of project areas for this second programme reflects our particular interest in testing the robustness of the model from rural, coastal and market towns, to former mining areas, and the cultural diversity of the UK’s inner cities.

Since 2005 we have added projects in:

 

BizFizz is happening in a community near you

We interviewed BizFizz clients and here's what they told us....
"We are immigrants, most people don't want to help us. And then you have this. It's special when you find someone who really wants to help"
Fatima Largo Ribeiro, Thetford. Read more
"A lot of training courses about how to run your own company are too rigid. I did things backwards, I started work then I did my business plan."
Gary McKie, Jarrow. Read more
"It's nice because it's something we enjoy doing anyway. We wake up and think 'Ooh, I wonder what's going to happen today'."
Angela Read and Tracy Robertson, Jarrow. Read more
"BizFizz was just what I needed. The Coach knew who to get in touch with and put us in for a grant. I didn't know what I needed to do to start a business."
Mick and Sharron Eland, Tuxford. Read more
"We heard about BizFizz and that it would help people getting benefits. So we thought we should go for it, get out of the house, get a better life."
David Williams, Horden & Easington. Read more
"When I think back I realise what it felt like to work in a factory, and I'll never put myself in that position again, so I'm going to try my best at this."
Ian Wilson, Horden & Easington. Read more
"I thought 'No they wouldn't be interested in me, they probably just help plumbers' but it turns out they'll do anything."
Lawrence Gallagher, Horden & Easington. Read more
"I haven't worked for four years and it can be that your confidence wanes, it can come and go like the tides, and it has for me."
John Wilkinson, Jarrow. Read more
"I get a great kick out of seeing something I've done from beginning to end. After being completely demoralised, I've got confidence in myself now."
Liz Cooper, Thetford. Read more
"There was just something in my head that wouldn't go away. 'If we never try, how are we going to find out if it's going to work?'."
Terry Quinn and Adrian Strange, Horden & Easington. Read more
"I can do a lot of things I wanted to do and do them well now, that is something I couldn't do when I was employed by someone else. It's about quality."
Wendy Leighton, Tuxford. Read more

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