Mark Bishop from Stockton came to Five Lamps in February 2015 for help in developing his business idea for a Domestic Energy Assessor and Green Deal Advisor business which he has called ‘Professional Energy Assessors’
Mark had been employed in Senior Management positions and was well qualified as an Energy Assessor and Green Deal Advisor, but had never run his own business so he went to Five Lamps for advice. He met with Business Advisor Ian Garforth from the Five Lamps Enterprise team who gave him one to one guidance, support and advice over a period of two months.
He also informed him that, as he was on Job Seekers Allowance, he qualified for the New Enterprise Allowance programme which would pay him £1270 over 26 weeks as a new business start-up.
Following some thorough preparation work, market research and having completed a Business Plan. Mark found that with the right connections and networking there was a strong demand for this cost saving, eco-friendly, mobile service from both private and commercial customers, therefore felt confident about the sustainability of ‘Bishop Energy Assessments’.
He also attended Five Lamps’ ‘We Mean Business’ workshops which covered subjects like finding and keeping customers, how to maximise social media potential, planning the business, book keeping, self-assessment and tax which reassured him about the management and sales side of his business.
Mark started ‘Professional Energy Assessors’ based in Stockton two months after his initial enquiry and has had a good start with a healthy workflow.
His advisor, Ian Garforth said:
“Mark was fantastic to work with. He has a friendly character and was very pro-active with his preparation and was determined throughout. He had already acknowledged the importance of good networking and these contacts quickly gave him confidence in this venture. Mark has a very customer focused attitude which I’m sure will help him to succeed in business and the services he offers are cost saving and environmentally friendly”
Of the service he received, Mark said:
“The mentoring program through Five Lamps was seamless with seminars on the use of social media to market and promote your business, how to complete your Tax return for self-assessment and practice advice and structure on how to produce a business plan – it made the whole process of becoming self-employed very simple and straight forward – highly recommend to everyone regardless of previous experience”
Professional Energy Assessors’ can be contacted on; 07500202055.
The New Enterprise Allowance is a DWP contract for people on Job Seekers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance or lone parent income support.