Testimonials

I thoroughly recommend that if you have an idea/plan and want to work for yourself ’go for it’. I wish I had done it years ago and with the help you receive from Five Lamps it’s easier than you think! Five Lamps promotes and delivers a very good service and I’m very satisfied how I’ve been looked after. I can’t praise staff, in particular Ian Garforth, enough!

Five Lamps meant that I could confidently begin working as a sole trader – something I had always wanted to do but never felt that I was supported enough to feel confident in this venture. They provided this support and much needed guidance, advice and a friendly contact just to clear up any queries I had. The different elements to my areas of business are all going well and I really appreciate the guidance given and feel it was the best thing I could have done. I recommend Five Lamps to anyone else who is seriously wanting to go self-employed but just needs a helping hand

The support and advice provided by Five Lamps was exactly what I needed in order to give me the confidence that going self-employed can work! I was provided with expert advice by my mentor Ian Garforth, from the start right to the very end. From Ian’s support in conjunction with attending the workshops I could then develop my business idea & implement the information provided and knowledge gained in order to form the starting blocks for my business strategy

I was at the point of despair when I couldn’t access the required capital I needed to grow my business. Without the RGF loan from Five Lamps I would have had to go back to being a one-man band without any prospect of growing the business and attracting new commercial contracts. There is a real gap in support available for existing businesses as a lot of support is focussed on start-ups. It feels great to be able to take on new staff and create much needed employment opportunities locally

The thought of going self-employed was very daunting as I didn’t know what to do, but after my first interview with Ian I felt more confident and I was shown how to do my accounts. I have been trading for 6 months now and the business is picking up, from internet appointments to word of mouth from previous customers. Thank you Five Lamps

I was referred to Five Lamps via the local Job Centre as I had an idea for a business and needed advice and support to make it real. Five Lamps provided a wide range of advice and information to help me achieve this, with one to one support offering guidance on formulating a business plan as well as the positive and negative aspects of starting a new business, I also attended several workshops which I found very informative

My mentor Ian gave me so much information and it was he who really gave me the confidence to believe that my business idea could turn into something exciting. Ian has really made a huge difference to my life as I have now achieved my goal of a cleaning business. Warrior Clean Domestic & Commercial Cleaning Service and I am ecstatic with my achievements, I have a van, equipment and products to enable a high standard of cleaning and business is doing well. Thank you Ian and all the Five Lamps staff for making it happen

When I first approached Ian and Five Lamps in 2013, I didn’t understand the background of starting your own business, but Five Lamps and the team put together workshops and meetings for people like me to attend. This helped me understand the fundamentals of running your own business. I have a huge amount of respect for the staff at Five Lamps as they are very dedicated to helping people like me. Ian and Deborah showed a lot of interest in my business idea which keeps me motivated. If it wasn’t for Five Lamps I wouldn’t have this business

The help I received from Five Lamps really has made a huge difference. My mentors gave me so much information and it was they who really gave me the confidence to believe that my business idea could turn into something real

When we had the idea for our business we were not sure we could make it happen until we contacted Five Lamps. We then met Carol who helped us immensely with our business idea. She enrolled us on money and customer care courses which gave us the confidence to pursue our idea and put our words into action. Now we have come a long way since we had the idea back in August 2013 when it was only a dream. We now have a work van, all of our equipment, a strong customer portfolio and work ethic. We really want to thank Carol, Deborah, Lesley Matthews and the rest of the team at Five Lamps. We would not be where we are today without their help and support

After deciding to purchase a cottage to run as a holiday let Five Lamps provided a wide range of advice and information to help me start my business. By helping me develop a business plan which made me focus on different aspects of the business both positive and negative, they helped me become aware of pitfalls and how to deal with various issues which may arise in order to develop a well run business.

I now have a thriving holiday cottage which is rarely empty, we get great reviews from our guests and many come back again and again.

I am grateful to Five Lamps for the help they gave me in the initial stages and found staff friendly and supportive

Working with Five Lamps was very useful not only in helping us secure some funding but also as a second opinion on the strength of our business model

I can’t thanks Five Lamps enough for what they did to help me in setting up my business. They were always on hand to offer guidance, advice, encouragement and even networking opportunities. I felt my mentor Carol Sanderson went above and beyond to help me make the most of the resources that were available to me and I knew she was always a phone call away if I was struggling with anything. Being self employed can be a very isolating experience and I found having someone to talk to one on one on a weekly basis absolutely invaluable. I love being able to do something I feel plays to my strengths and talents everyday and I feel like I am constantly learning new skills and achieving things I didn’t think I was capable of