Starting Your Social Business

This course is part of the Community Leadership Programme funded by RBKC. 

In partnership with RBKC, Portobello Business Centre will provide specialist training which helps residents and organisations in the borough to identify the different types of legal structures available to them, such as setting-up as a self-employed person working in partnership with other services, or creating a charity or CIC themselves. We will cover topics such as communications, pricing, marketing, presentation skills, and financial controls in order to help organisations develop their brands and create a diverse portfolio of income.

The course is open to any resident / organisation based in one of the seven North Kensington wards: Dalgarno, Golborne, St. Helen’s, Notting Dale, Colville, Norland, Pembridge. Residents who applied to and / or were awarded Grenfell Projects Funding or Community Leadership Programme funding in the previous round are welcome to apply again.

Registration process:

1. Each resident / organisation based in these seven wards and interested in attending the course must fill-in the RBKC questionnaire located here: Questionnaire Link;

2. Submit your questionnaire via the online portal and get referred to PBC to attend our ‘Starting Your Social Business’ course;

3. The PBC team will send you a registration form. Fill-in and submit the online registration form to secure your place on this course;

4. The details on how to join the Zoom webinars will follow.

Please ensure you attend all sessions below to make the most of this 5-day online workshop. All sessions will be delivered via Zoom. Attendance is FREE – this course is fully-funded by RBKC.

Agenda and topics:

Monday 11^th October, 9:30am – 11.30am and 2pm – 3.30pm

• 9:30am – 10:00am: Get-to-know-each-other meeting (1/2 hour)
• 10am – 11:30am and 2pm – 3:30pm: “Marketing: how to get your offer out to the community / customers” – Carole Pyke

Wednesday 13^th October, 10am – 11.30am and 2pm – 3.30pm

• “Pricing and the importance of financial forecasts” – Laurie Bernard

Thursday 14^th October, 9am – 10.30am and 2pm – 3.30pm

• “Legal structures of a CIC/Charity/Self-employed/Ltd company. What is right for you and your idea” – James Watkins

Friday 15^th October, 10am – 11:30am and 2pm – 3:30pm

• “Branding: getting your brand to fit your organisation’s personality” – Jilly Clark

Monday 18^th October, 10am – 12pm and 1pm – 3.30pm

• 10am – 12pm and 1pm – 3pm: “Presentation skills – being able to present your story to potential funders/partners/collaborators” – Carole Pyke
• 3pm – 3:30pm: Networking meeting (1/2 hour)

Each webinar session will be recorded in order for all attendees to have the opportunity to watch it again later. One-to-one support will also be available to the attendees.

The event’s speakers and their area of expertise:

• Carole Pyke: Marketing Expert
• Laurie Bernard: Business Advisor and Finance Expert
• James Watkins: Business Advisor and Economic Development Specialist
• Jilly Clark: Branding and Design Expert

If you need additional information or require assistance with the Zoom platform, please contact our PBC Marketing Communication Coordinator Gina at gina@pbc.co.uk or on 020 7460 5067.

Weekly Incubator Sessions and one-to-one support

Participants will also be invited to attend weekly Incubator Sessions facilitated by Styleutions and PBC. During these sessions, the facilitators will cover the various aspects of the grant application questions to assist you during this process. You will also be able to access one-to-one support.

Weekly Incubator sessions will be held via Zoom from 10am to 12pm on the following dates:

Wednesday 1st December 2021

Wednesday 8th December 2021

Wednesday 15th December 2021

Wednesday 12th January 2022

Wednesday 19th January 2022

Wednesday 26th January 2022

Wednesday 2nd February 2022