Business support programme helps Wigan’s self-employed thrive

EnterprisingYou is a fully funded service that offers a mixture of workshops, coaching, health and wellbeing support to self-employed and gig economy workers across Greater Manchester.

Since launch, EnterprisingYou has had a positive impact on over 3,000 participants and the wider community it has supported, from boosting the local economy, driving business growth and empowering self-employed workers.

Lucy Wilkinson from Wigan has been ‘clowning’ since she was six years old.

She created her character Louby Lou when she was 18 and is now one of the most popular children’s entertainers in the North West.

She joined the programme to develop her skills during the pandemic.

Lucy said: “I applied for a government grant and didn’t qualify, but then EnterprisingYou phoned me to offer this great service!

"I just wanted to come out of the pandemic stronger and know that I’ve learnt something, so I said yes.

“EnterprisingYou has given me so many different training opportunities.

"They really give you that personal touch and get onboard on where you’re up to with things.

"They support you with everything you do. I’m learning and making connections; things are happening and looking good.

"I even had the chance to deliver my own webinar on resilience, which was a great chance to share my experience.”

EnterprisingYou was launched in 2019 to combat the issues raised in a stark report in 2018 from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The report found that despite the over 4 million-strong self-employed workforce contributing over £270bn to the UK economy in 2017, they were often at the sharp end of the nation’s fiscal and financial challenges.

The programme works with self-employed Greater Manchester residents who have earnings of less than £27,000.

Head of Enterprise at GC Business Growth Hub Yvonne Sampson said “The UK has a proud tradition of self-employed workers.

"We just want to make sure that tradition continues.

“Many were already struggling, but the pandemic magnified those issues.

"Programmes like EnterprisingYou offer help and support and are designed in a way that people will eventually be able to stand on their own.

“We’re really proud to have helped thousands of self-employed people in Greater Manchester to succeed.”

Extended twice due to its success, the pilot programme was commissioned by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), with funding from the Department for Education.

Alongside the millions in revenue added by the self-employed, the Insight Report shows the programme’s 3,000 participants saw a £663,246 reduction in benefits claimed and a £4.7m increase in businesses profitability.

With the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, programmes like EnterprisingYou are making a difference to communities in the UK.

If rolled out Nationally, the programme could add £136.7m to self-employed business revenues and increase self-employed business profits by at least £50.6m.

To celebrate three years of EnterprisingYou and its success, GC Business Growth Hub hosted at an event in Manchester’s historic Midland Hotel which was attended by alumni, representatives from each Greater Manchester local authority, universities and all those involved in delivering EnterprisingYou.

The event looked at the important role EnterprisingYou played in unlocking opportunities for the Greater Manchester self-employed workforce, with talks led by Andy Burnham and the team that delivered the programme.

EnterprisingYou is still working to help self-employed workers across Greater Manchester.

Find out more here