Year in Review 2025 — A Story of Courage, Community, and New Beginnings
2025 began quietly at first — the kind of quiet that comes just before something shifts. In the early days of January, the realisation the covid was five years ago! the lights flicked on across our workspaces as founders, dreamers, and doers stepped back into their routines. Some carried notebooks full of plans, others carried worries, most carried both.
But all of them walked through our doors with the same spark: hope, and that spark became the heartbeat of our year, hope for a better year in business.
Where Ideas Found Their Voice
Every year at BEC has its own rhythm, but 2025 felt different. It felt like a rising tide, we watched people arrive with ideas they weren’t sure were “good enough,” only to see those ideas grow into brands, services, and stories that mattered. We saw first‑time founders take the stage at our events, hands trembling at first, then steadying as the room leaned in to listen.
One founder told us, “I didn’t think people like me built businesses” by December, she had hired her first employee.
These are the moments that shaped our year — not the headlines, but the quiet victories.
Spaces That Became Home
Our buildings have always been more than bricks and desks. In 2025, they became sanctuaries for ambition, drive and determination to succeed.
Early mornings filled with the smell of coffee and the hum of possibility.
Lunchtime conversations that turned into collaborations.
Evenings where lights stayed on long after dark because someone was working hard to bring their business to life. We saw strangers become colleagues, and colleagues become friends.
We saw businesses that started at a single hot desk grow into full offices, and through it all, our spaces held the energy of a community building itself from the ground up.
We saw a run-down community centre, build a trusted consortium, thrive in the community, and turn out to be not too shabby!
A Community That Lifted Each Other
If there was one theme that defined 2025, it was connection.
We watched entrepreneurs share advice, swap skills, and celebrate each other’s wins. We saw established founders mentor newcomers. We saw people who once doubted themselves become the ones offering encouragement to others firmly cementing the BEC belief that enterprise is a team sport.
This year, our BEC community proved it.
Growing With Purpose
2025 also marked a turning point in how our community thought about the future.
More founders asked how to build sustainably. More explored greener practices. More conversations centred on responsibility — to the environment, to the borough, to each other.
We didn’t just talk about growth, we talked about good growth, and that shift felt powerful.
Stepping Into the Digital Future
Technology moved fast this year, and our entrepreneurs moved with it. We saw founders embrace digital tools they once found intimidating. We saw businesses reinvent themselves online. We saw creativity flourish in new formats — from AI‑powered branding to virtual workshops that reached people who couldn’t join in person.
Innovation wasn’t a buzzword; it was a lifeline — and a launchpad.
The stories that stayed with us
Every year leaves us with memories some great, some not so great, but 2025 left us with stories we’ll carry for a long time. The young entrepreneur who launched a business from her flat and now has her own kitchen and thriving food business.
The mother who turned a hobby into a thriving enterprise that now supports her family.
The local maker who nearly gave up, only to find new confidence through one of our mentoring programmes.
The founders who met at BEC, collaborated on a project, and ended up creating something bigger than we imagined.
These stories remind us why we exist; they remind us that enterprise is not just about profit — it’s about possibility.
Moving quickly into 2026
As we step into 2026, we carry with us the lessons, the laughter, the challenges, and the triumphs of the past year, and this coming year holds a special meaning for us and me personally.
2026 marks our 10th year as a Community Interest Company and me as the CEO — a decade of standing beside local entrepreneurs, championing inclusive growth, and proving that community‑powered enterprise can transform lives. It’s a milestone that reminds us how far we’ve come, and how much more we’re capable of building together.
We’re ready to welcome new founders ✓
We’re ready to support bold ideas ✓
We’re ready to strengthen our community✓
We’re ready to build a more inclusive, sustainable local economy✓
But most importantly, we’re ready to keep doing what we do best: helping people believe in themselves. Because when someone believes in their own potential, everything changes — for them, for their family, for their community.
And that’s the story we’ll keep writing together as we enter our tenth year and beyond.
2025 began quietly at first — the kind of quiet that comes just before something shifts. In the early days of January, the realisation the covid was five years ago! the lights flicked on across our workspaces as founders, dreamers, and doers stepped back into their routines. Some carried notebooks full of plans, others carried worries, most carried both.
But all of them walked through our doors with the same spark: hope, and that spark became the heartbeat of our year, hope for a better year in business.
Where Ideas Found Their Voice
Every year at BEC has its own rhythm, but 2025 felt different. It felt like a rising tide, we watched people arrive with ideas they weren’t sure were “good enough,” only to see those ideas grow into brands, services, and stories that mattered. We saw first‑time founders take the stage at our events, hands trembling at first, then steadying as the room leaned in to listen.
One founder told us, “I didn’t think people like me built businesses” by December, she had hired her first employee.
These are the moments that shaped our year — not the headlines, but the quiet victories.
Spaces That Became Home
Our buildings have always been more than bricks and desks. In 2025, they became sanctuaries for ambition, drive and determination to succeed.
Early mornings filled with the smell of coffee and the hum of possibility.
Lunchtime conversations that turned into collaborations.
Evenings where lights stayed on long after dark because someone was working hard to bring their business to life. We saw strangers become colleagues, and colleagues become friends.
We saw businesses that started at a single hot desk grow into full offices, and through it all, our spaces held the energy of a community building itself from the ground up.
We saw a run-down community centre, build a trusted consortium, thrive in the community, and turn out to be not too shabby!
A Community That Lifted Each Other
If there was one theme that defined 2025, it was connection.
We watched entrepreneurs share advice, swap skills, and celebrate each other’s wins. We saw established founders mentor newcomers. We saw people who once doubted themselves become the ones offering encouragement to others firmly cementing the BEC belief that enterprise is a team sport.
This year, our BEC community proved it.
Growing With Purpose
2025 also marked a turning point in how our community thought about the future.
More founders asked how to build sustainably. More explored greener practices. More conversations centred on responsibility — to the environment, to the borough, to each other.
We didn’t just talk about growth, we talked about good growth, and that shift felt powerful.
Stepping Into the Digital Future
Technology moved fast this year, and our entrepreneurs moved with it. We saw founders embrace digital tools they once found intimidating. We saw businesses reinvent themselves online. We saw creativity flourish in new formats — from AI‑powered branding to virtual workshops that reached people who couldn’t join in person.
Innovation wasn’t a buzzword; it was a lifeline — and a launchpad.
The stories that stayed with us
Every year leaves us with memories some great, some not so great, but 2025 left us with stories we’ll carry for a long time. The young entrepreneur who launched a business from her flat and now has her own kitchen and thriving food business.
The mother who turned a hobby into a thriving enterprise that now supports her family.
The local maker who nearly gave up, only to find new confidence through one of our mentoring programmes.
The founders who met at BEC, collaborated on a project, and ended up creating something bigger than we imagined.
These stories remind us why we exist; they remind us that enterprise is not just about profit — it’s about possibility.
Moving quickly into 2026
As we step into 2026, we carry with us the lessons, the laughter, the challenges, and the triumphs of the past year, and this coming year holds a special meaning for us and me personally.
2026 marks our 10th year as a Community Interest Company and me as the CEO — a decade of standing beside local entrepreneurs, championing inclusive growth, and proving that community‑powered enterprise can transform lives. It’s a milestone that reminds us how far we’ve come, and how much more we’re capable of building together.
We’re ready to welcome new founders ✓
We’re ready to support bold ideas ✓
We’re ready to strengthen our community✓
We’re ready to build a more inclusive, sustainable local economy✓
But most importantly, we’re ready to keep doing what we do best: helping people believe in themselves. Because when someone believes in their own potential, everything changes — for them, for their family, for their community.
And that’s the story we’ll keep writing together as we enter our tenth year and beyond.
