Are you over 50 and feeling like you might be ready to turn your hobby or passion into a business? Well, a course could help you turn that thought into a reality.
Starting on 19 September, Startup School for Seniors is an 8-week, part-time online course to help you do just that.
It provides you with a way to get feedback on your ideas from others, build your confidence, and increase your chances of success. Thanks to fully sponsored places available for Londoners who meet the age criteria, you can join the course at no cost and take your first steps toward becoming your own boss.
Hobby to business: expert guidance
Ealing Council’s adult learning team, Learn Ealing, has partnered with course organisers Advantages of Age to offer the course’s students:
- comprehensive learning, with more than 25 hours of video lessons to guide you through every aspect of starting a business
- expert guidance, with qualified mentors to support and advise
- collaborative learning, with weekly calls to discuss and refine your business ideas with others
- community support, with access to a private Facebook group for ongoing support and networking
Led by entrepreneur Suzanne Noble and business coach Mark Elliott, Advantages of Age is a social enterprise which aims to make learning fun and interactive, helping you make real progress each week.
An opportunity to fulfil your potential
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, the council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said: “Startup School for Seniors is designed to empower residents over 50 with the skills and confidence they need to turn their hobby-to-business idea into reality. We’re committed to ensuring all Ealing residents can access new opportunities and fulfil their potential, regardless of their age or background.”
Hear from past participants
“I thought the whole programme was well structured and well placed,” said Alison Crossick, of Alison Crossick Jewellery. “There was good management of a wide range of business ideas and people’s needs within the group.”
Simon Walker, who set up The Top Meadow Campsite, said: “I loved the course in the end after I got over myself. I really appreciate Suzanne and Mark showing up in the arena with vulnerability. It really helped settle me into just doing the work needed and not waiting for perfection before I started. The 1-2-1 sessions were particularly useful in shaping the road ahead. Galvanising what had been learned in the course. The one-page business plan will very much be by my side as an essential tool to help build my business.”
Take part
The next course starts on Thursday, 19 September. Visit Startup School for Seniors to find out more and register.
Have your say on the future of jobs
You can now have your say on the council’s new plan to bring good, well-paid jobs to the borough and ensure businesses can thrive.
The council’s draft jobs and skills strategy complements its Good for Ealing programme and aims to cement the borough’s status as the £11billion commercial engine of west London, with vibrant and distinct local economies in each of the borough’s 7 towns where people, businesses, and communities can flourish together. It will do this by focusing on high growth sectors and upskilling the local workforce to deliver a more dynamic and entrepreneurial economy.
