I am left home alone for most of August my esteemed colleague and work wife goes on holiday for a few weeks, and so I am left to my own devices. It is a chance to catch up and go through the pile of things to do I have said I will get to one day. External meetings dry up even online, so I really am left to ponder and peruse! This time we have been on a bit of a mission to spruce up our own working areas after 8 years the clutter and toot (I love the word toot!) and give our spaces a glow up. I now have such a cool space to work from an Instagram dream and fair play to our caretaker Cliff who has worked so hard to get the decorating done.
Whilst I was pondering and perusing whilst looking back at the last 8 years there is much to be proud of, so many successful businesses with our help and support, some great projects, of course fabulous workspaces without question and a team of mentors and trainers who are very much part of the BEC family and crucial to our story.
We are mid-way through preparing for cohort two, but we were thinking that we could increase the number of businesses we could help with this programme and so we have extended the window for applications. We want to give as many businesses as possible the opportunity to benefit from this brilliant programme.
If you know any businesses who might be interested, then send them our way and if you are thinking about applying for yourself here are my views on why the programme works. Luckily, our funders the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the GLA agree with me.
Amplify is our flag ship business support programme, a mix of bootcamps and individual business support and they both play crucial roles in the success of a business for several reasons:
The boot camp elements offer focused, intensive training that helps participants quickly gain the skills needed to excel in their field. This is particularly beneficial for new businesses or those who have not seen the growth or development they anticipated. It’s vital to understand and unpick the challenges businesses face. Unlike traditional training, bootcamps emphasize hands-on learning, allowing participants to apply their knowledge in real-world scenarios and these facilitate peer support networks amongst the participants. Bootcamps bring together like-minded individuals, creating opportunities for networking and forming valuable professional relationships.
This was an unknown outcome at the start of the programme, but we will take it as a win.
It’s important to remember that the Amplify programme is quite short term about 10 weeks this time as we purposely exclude half term weeks and of course dare I mention it we want to finish before Christmas.
The second part of the programme is the individual business support, undeniably access to experienced mentors can provide invaluable advice and insights, helping entrepreneurs navigate challenges and make informed decisions.
Our mentors can assist with developing business plans, marketing strategies, and financial planning, ensuring a solid foundation for growth. Our ethos of only working with industry experts in their field with current knowledge means that their support is top notch.
Hopefully I have sold it to you now so if you or anyone you know based in Barking and Dagenham is interested then please check our website ( link) or contact Shanice.Bako@barkingenterprisecentre.co.uk for more information.
