Terry Bowes, 28 from Stockton first came to Five Lamps in January 2013 looking for support to start his own tyre fitting business
Ian Garforth, Five Lamps Enterprise Coach worked intensively with Terry through one to one coaching sessions. Ian also signed Terry up to Five Lamps enterprise workshops including ‘is it for me?’ a workshop which explores the pros and cons of self-employment and ‘we mean business’ a workshop that explores topics such as market research, marketing, sales and developing a business plan.
As Terry was unemployed and had never run his own business, the enterprise workshops helped him to gain the confidence and knowledge he needed to achieve his dream. Terry carried out intensive market research and used his previous experience of tyre fitting over the last 10 years to further develop his business plan.
Terry is now confident that he is creating a sustainable business and has found premises on Oxbridge Road in Stockton which is perfect for his needs. He started trading in May 2013 and said
“I owe a lot to Five Lamps as I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the fantastic help from Simon, John and Ian. I simply couldn’t have done it without their support and guidance. It’s great that I’m doing a job I love, thanks to Five Lamps.’