We interviewed Andy Judd, Credit Analyst at the Birmingham Mid Markets Credit Management Centre, Lloyds Banking Group, to find out what led him to train as a mentor, why his bank was supporting his mentoring, and what he had learnt from the process. Why did you decide to train as a mentor? I’ve worked for […]
Author Archives: Sophie Hardwick
Taking innovations to market
Jermaine Weeks is used to coming up with ideas, in fact his business depends on it, so we asked him whether he thought sourcing a mentor was a great idea for a new enterprise, “I think it can be really useful for helping you focus your strategy and to broaden your contact base. So far […]
Graduates and SMEs: Bridging the Gap – The IOEE Summer Survey Results
The Background A recent report by SFEDI and Newcastle University Business School (NUBS) highlights that whilst there is a clear case that graduates make a positive contribution to SMEs, there are a number of barriers to recruitment of graduates within SMEs. Using evidence from Gilleard and Reichwald (2008) the report highlights that graduates can increase the […]
Designer, Entrepreneur and Mentor: Kemi Farquharson shares her story
This month we were delighted to catch up with Kemi Farquharson, designer and founder of Kemi Boutique which designs couture wedding dresses for the bride-to-be with curves. Her collections have attracted international interest and have led to even more entrepreneurial ventures, including her couture perfume line, First Love, a Plus Size Wedding Fair called Loving Your […]
Entrepreneur champions mentoring at Disability & Employment Conference
Earlier this year we interviewed Chibuike Maduforo, an inspiring young entrepreneur and one of the Intuit 100Up, to find out about his business and how his mentor has supported him since he attended our first Meet A Mentor event at the MADE Festival last September. As a result of that story, Chibuike was invited to […]
New qualifications set to widen the skills of enterprise mentors
Lloyds Banking Group has worked in partnership with the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative (SFEDI) and Business Mentors South West (BMSW) to develop a brand new suite of qualifications for enterprise mentors keen to develop their skills in digital skills, business support networks, strategic planning, and financial support. The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) qualifications, which […]
Lessons from a new business: “Stick to your strengths, do your research, and plan!”
At the IOEE we’re always keen to find out what challenges are facing new business and what kind of support is helping them on their way. This month we caught up with Liam McGinley, who has recently joined the IOEE, to find out more about the business that himself and his business partners have recently […]
What happens when … a property business owner meets a bank mentor
Divian Mistry already had a well established business when he found out about the opportunity to source a mentor from the banking sector. Divian started investing in property a few years ago after leaving University. He’s now developed a wealth of expertise in the sector, and also runs a business to help people who are […]
New opportunity to explore enterprising skills for those in prison
A new qualification for budding business owners is about to be piloted in a selected number of prisons in the UK. The Level 1 Award in Understanding Enterprising Qualities from SFEDI Awards is now available on the Virtual Campus for individuals considering self employment. Virtual Campus allows access to learning resources to assist offenders on their journey to […]
Bringing graduate talent to SMEs
A recent report on graduate recruitment in SMEs has received a lot of interest recently as it highlights a mismatch between SME employment levels in the UK as a whole and the percentage of graduates leaving University to work in SMEs. Leigh Sear, the report’s author and CEO of SFEDI Solutions, the standards setting body […]