News

The Funding That Helped Transform Kyle’s Business

"I wanted to thank you for the fantastic training day and pitching opportunity. This is really enabled me to propel my business." We first met Kyle at our annual Ready Set Grow event, a full day of interactive workshops and networking designed to help small business owners sharpen their ideas and build confidence. At the end of the day, we invited a selection of participants to pitch for a share of £5,000. Kyle spoke openly about the gaps holding him back advanced trainin

Nov 26, 20252 min read

How PBC Backed Charlie Bigham When Banks Said No

How a £5,000 PBC Loan Helped Created a Million pound Business In 1995, before his meals appeared on shelves in Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Booths and other major supermarkets, Charlie Bigham was simply a young man with a notebook full of ideas, a campervan and a desire to build something of his own. He left his corporate job and travelled through Europe, the Middle East and India, where he spent hours watching food being prepared by street vendors. He was struck by how simp

Nov 19, 20253 min read

How PBC Helped Scotch Rocket Go From Market Test Day to Professional Brand Video

Behind the Scenes🌶️ From a family kitchen to a film set – Denise, founder of Scotch Rocket, is bringing her 150-year-old hot pepper sauce to life on camera. As one of our Ready Set Grow 2025 Hustle Hub winners, Denise recently spent the day with ✨ The Quick Brown Fox Video Production Ltd ✨, capturing her brand story as part of the prize package she received. The shoot marks a defining moment in her business journey, celebrating heritage, creativity and growth. Her story wi

Nov 17, 20251 min read

PBC x Transport for London

Something exciting is taking shape under the arches of Latimer Road. What was once an unused stretch of railway space is being transformed into a vibrant hub for small businesses - a place where ideas and local ambition can thrive. At the heart of this transformation is a new partnership between Portobello Business Centre (PBC) and Transport for London (TfL). Together, we’re working to turn the Lockton Street Arches into a space where entrepreneurship can take root and gr

Nov 5, 20251 min read

Inspiring the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs One Classroom at a Time

When the Portobello Business Centre team visited Notre Dame Roman Catholic Girls' School in South East London to talk about student entrepreneurship, the impact on students was clear to see. 134 Year 11 pupils explored what it means to think like an entrepreneur, develop a business idea of their own and see entrepreneurship as a real career opportunity. “We were very fortunate to have [Portobello Business Centre] Dr Sheela Sharma deliver a most engaging presentation on entr

Oct 30, 20252 min read

Become B-Corp for Free!

Pitch for Purpose Competition launches to support purpose-driven SMEs Portobello Business Centre (PBC), in partnership with Workspace and Transformacy , has launched the Pitch for Purpose Competition , a new initiative designed to support small and medium-sized businesses working towards B Corp certification. The competition is open to purpose-driven businesses within the Workspace community that are addressing social challenges, embedding sustainability, or driving innovati

4 days ago1 min read

Why is my marketing not working? Three things you're getting wrong

Over the past three decades, business and communications have changed beyond recognition. That much is obvious. What is less comfortable is how many organisations still behave as though the rules are broadly the same, just with better tools and faster channels. As 2026 gets into gear, three things are clearly under strain : news, social media and the ability of many businesses to be seen, believed and chosen by customers when marketing channels are noisier, trust is harder to

5 days ago4 min read

“PBC gave me the clarity and confidence to take my business to the next level.”

For many creative founders, vision comes first and structure follows later. For Tilly, that vision was shaped long before her brand existed. Raised in Transylvania, she grew up in an environment where resourcefulness, craftsmanship and sustainability were part of everyday life. Reuse was not a trend but a necessity, a mindset that would later become the foundation of her work as a luxury upcycling designer. Today, she transforms discarded materials into statement pieces that

Dec 15, 20253 min read

Places for Growth is coming to Lockton Street Arches and PBC is meeting them there!

Under the arches of Latimer Road was once a quiet stretch of railway brickwork is being reimagined into a vibrant hub for small and ambitious businesses, a place where ideas can grow, creativity can flourish and local enterprise can take centre stage. For years, these arches stood unused. Now, they are becoming part of a bigger vision. Places for London is launching its first-ever Places for Growth location at Lockton Street Arches , a programme built to give new and amb

Dec 11, 20252 min read

What Happens When Students Realise Entrepreneurship Can Be a Real Career?

What happens when young people fully understand what entrepreneurship means and see it as a real and achievable career path? The answer is simple. Everything shifts. Curiosity grows, confidence rises and students begin to imagine futures they may never have considered before. This week, Dr Sheela Sharma continued her work in schools across London, delivering impactful entrepreneurship sessions to students at two inspiring institutions. Each group was at a different stage in t

Nov 13, 20252 min read

PBC to Deliver New Digital Skills Workshops Across East Sussex

We’re thrilled to share some big news! PBC has been awarded the opportunity to deliver a brand-new series of Digital Workshops across East Sussex - in partnership with East Sussex County Council , East Sussex Growth Hub and the Department for Business and Trade Over the next five months (November 2024 – March 2025), we’ll be running free, in-person sessions in Hastings, Eastbourne, Battle, Lewes and Uckfield, helping local businesses strengthen their digital skills and

Nov 7, 20251 min read

Small Businesses Are the Backbone of the UK Economy

At the start of 2025 there were 5.64 million small businesses in the UK private sector. That figure represents 99.18% of all UK businesses. According to the Department for Business and Trade, the private sector had 5.69 million businesses in total with only 8,335 classed as large companies employing more than 250 people. These numbers show that the real strength of the UK economy lies not in the large corporations that dominate headlines but in the millions of small and micro

Oct 20, 20252 min read