Authentic rehabilitation through entrepreneurship.

Phoenix is a 7 week program (with ongoing support) that will give you the skills, support & confidence to create your own business and run it successfully.

The Phoenix program is light on theory.  You learn so much more by doing things for yourself.  That is why our 6+6 programme facilitates practical implementation.  We help you develop your own business rather than some training enterprise or case study.  Each step makes your future more sustainable. We empower you to build an authentic enterprise, one built around your unique strengths and values.  This is how rehabilitation through entrepreneurship really works.  By building business capability, gaining confidence through doing and interacting with real customers, you become a business owner rather than a former convict. It is this shift in mindset that really categorises rehabilitation. An overview of the programme is below.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

We have found that many of our participants have a good idea about what they should be doing, but struggle with how to actually do it.  The reason is simple;  although there is a lot of business advice out there, unless it is adapted to each person’s individual circumstances, it is almost impossible to put into practice.

Our focus is pretty simple; we help you to identify the best way to sell your skills, in 6 simple steps.

1. DEVELOP YOUR IDEA

Everyone has different skills, ideas, strengths and weaknesses. We help to identify those and provide support, tools and resources to make your idea a viable business. If you don’t have an idea we can work with you to identify your key skills and strengths which can translate into a business.

2. TEST IT

Testing your idea allows you to see any potential problems or roadblocks for your business, we then work through how to adapt and overcome those to ensure you are set up for longterm success. Testing often results in your first sales which gives you the proof of concept needed to boost your confidence and show you what’s possible.

3. MAKE IT A WINNER

Understanding and planning your market and sales plan are collectively mapped out to play to  your own, individual strengths. Our program leaders have years of experience running their own businesses and will guide you through this process to ensure you have an actionable plan that results in a sustainable business.

4. MARKETING ON A BUDGET

Marketing your business doesn’t have to be expensive, in fact there are many free resources available if you know where to look and how to use them. The program will guide you through simple and effective marketing tools that will enable you to reach your ideal customers, at little or no cost.

5. PLAN FOR GROWTH

Setting up a business and getting your first sale is a huge achievement, but it’s just the start. The Phoenix program will help you to create a plan to grow and sustain your business to make it profitable for years to come. Planning ahead is essential for any successful entrepreneur and we’ll help to develop a personalised strategy.

6. POWER AHEAD

Now it’s your time to shine and show the world your true potential. Phoenix is a community-led organisation and ongoing support is available. The program partners with a number of networking organisations and trading platforms which will also help to boost your business profile and enable you to join an accepting, like-minded & supportive community.

SUCCESS STORIES

Our participants action speaks louder than words. Phoenix participants become more engaged and mentally prepared to get out and sell their products. The epiphany is the realisation that they are responsible, enabling us to coproduce a process designed around their unique circumstances that empowers their success. Here are few examples (names changed to protect privacy):

IAN

When Ian could not get funding for his barbershop business, we set him a challenge to find a new idea that required less capital.  A year out of jail and working for a charity that helps combat substance abuse, he was very familiar with the challenges faced by reforming addicts.  We helped him set up a half-way house.  From pitching the idea to a housing company, through negotiating a partnership where the company funded the conversion costs in exchange for a share of higher future rental income to dealing with the necessary compliance and taking on an employee, we gave Ian the confidence and capability to see it through.  We showed him how to play to his own strengths, to consider his partners perspective and think through and plan for the things that might go wrong.

GILL

Gill is amazingly talented; dance coach, mountain climber, storyteller, she seemed able to turn her hand to anything until cancer stopped her in her tracks.  Unabashed, she fought through to remission helped by her own remedy made from chilli, but found herself overwhelmed with too many ideas, but not enough income.  Gill knew that she needed to focus; her difficulty was with where to start.  We helped her put a plan together to distribute her chilli sauce through as many outlets as our collective imagination allowed, setting stretching but achievable targets backed by an actionable plan.  She set to it with renewed sense of purpose, securing a stand in a local market and selling to delis.

CHRIS

Just 6 weeks out of prison, Chris was just starting to find his feet.  He had worked hard on his painting and decorating qualifications while inside and was now struggling through construction certification.  But he had more imagination than just to slap magnolia emulsion on the walls of new build homes, his daring designs were eye-catching; he just needed to find a customer that appreciated them.  We encouraged him to put together a Facebook page to showcase his talent and share it amongst people he knew; he was soon getting enquiries.  Our biggest gift to Chris was the confidence to live to his potential rather simply accepting what fate cast in his path.

JANE

Jane was a struggling in the world of work.  As a single mother with school age child, her working day as a carpenter was severely curtailed and most employers did not want to know – plenty of men had no such constraints.  We helped Jane sell her woodworking skills directly to customers.  We helped her identify the customers she most wanted and describe her offer to attract them.  She started advertising her services and soon found paying clients willing to offer testimonials and referrals to help her grow her business.  We have also helped her put together a free Google for Business site to further spread the word.  Jane had most of the skills, she was just struggling to deploy them.

GET IN TOUCH…

To arrange a chat with one of our program leaders, send us a message.