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Ready to help?

Become a buddy!

We're looking for members of staff from Barclays and other Organisations to become personal buddies to work with people on the Ready to Start programme and support them through their business venture.

What does the role involve?

The role involves working with a disabled person who is hoping to start their own business. The Buddy will make regular contact with their client by email or phone and, if both are happy to so, meet face to face in a mutually agreeable location. They will help their client through the Ready to Start process, which involves getting business advice and training, writing business plans, arranging finance, joining business networks and also assessing the impact of starting a business on the client's daily life. The Buddy is likely to meet with a client about once a month but may also provide support by telephone and email during the course of the month. The Buddy and client will plan meetings and other support plans together to ensure the arrangements are mutually convenient and appropriate.

The Buddy will:

• Support the client in setting up their own business.
• Assist the client to track their development activities on the 'Ready to Start' website.
• Help the disabled person plan their business-setup and help them to solve problems.
• Provide support and encouragement during the duration of the volunteer role, providing a friendly "listening ear".

What is the time commitment?

You will need to commit to 3-4 hours per month for at least 6 months, plus read a distance learning induction training course pack to give you an understanding of the role and some disability awareness.

Will this role suit me?

This role will appeal to someone who enjoys giving practical help and has an understanding of the world of business. You do not need experience of starting a business but they should have an understanding of the commercial world.

What support will I get as a Buddy?

Leonard Cheshire Disability will arrange for a volunteer support manager to provide regular telephone advice and support to you throughout your time as a Buddy.

What clients could I be helping?

Number 1 had a successful career offering internet services; until a devastating accident meant he could no longer work. He has always been a writer and musician and in the good times he volunteered with a charity working with disadvantaged children. Now with impaired mobility, he is ready to start in business again, this time using his creative skills to set up an educational theatre company which will perform in schools. For the first time he will have to do all the administrative and financial planning for the business himself and he wants a buddy to provide encouragement and support with the practicalities of working in this way.

Number 2 has manufactured soap and bath products as a hobby for some years and she now wants to do this professionally. Her dyslexia means that the business and financial planning processes are fairly hard for her and she will want a buddy to help her find strategies to acquire these skills in order to raise the finance she needs to establish and sustain her business.

Number 3 was a successful sales trainer with a large organisation for many years, until a stroke, followed by depression led to two years without work. He is now feeling better and wants to set up his business as a sales trainer and motivational speaker. His marketing plan is well developed and he has excellent marketing skills, but the process of preparing business and financial plans are totally new to him and he needs a credible business plan in order to raise the finance he needs. He would like a buddy to provide support and encouragement as he goes through the process of acquiring these new skills.

Number 4 is a graduate with several years experience of working as a disability adviser with a number of organisations in London and the USA. She is profoundly deaf, but is a good communicator and experienced trainer. She is setting up her own disability consultancy, to provide public and private sector organisations with the advice they need to ensure they include disabled people. She needs to acquire business planning skills and she would like a buddy to help her work through the business start-up process.

Number 5 wants to establish his own electrical installation business and has studied electrical installation for 2 years at a local college. He came to the UK about 9 years ago as a refugee and had to learn the language as well as adapting to a very different culture. His physical and mental health conditions mean he needs the flexibility offered by self-employment, but he has yet to learn business and financial planning skills. A buddy would support him through the process of acquiring these, as well as helping him understand the "British way of doing business."