20 January, 2015

Creating a virtuous circle of start-up support in our local communities

 Award-winning business start-up support provider, Outset has just launched a new Ambassador programme, giving clients who have previously benefited from the service’s fully funded support the chance to give back to the local community by mentoring future business owners.

Ambassadors are former Outset clients that have gone on to create successful new businesses in their local area, and as part of this new initiative, they will pledge to donate 24 hours – or one day – of their time to support new business owners, over the course of a year.

Bev Hurley, Chief Executive of YTKO Group, parent company of Outset, says: “For us, this is all about creating a virtuous circle of support in every area where we offer an Outset service. At the start of our programme, we tell our clients ‘give us 24 hours of your life and we’ll change the rest of it’. Our Ambassadors now get a special opportunity to give that 24 hours back to the service that supported them, helping to inspire the next wave of entrepreneurs!”

The programme is designed to both celebrate and support the creation of successful and sustainable businesses, giving Ambassadors the chance to share the wisdom of their experiences, whilst simultaneously exposing up-and-coming business owners to inspiring and accessible role models. Support and encouragement from real, local success stories ensures the service is able to reach people from all angles.

All Outset Ambassadors receive mentor training to support them in delivering support to others and ensure they feel comfortable with their skills before being matched with clients. Outset clients that would like to give back but don’t feel comfortable mentoring can also contribute in other ways, like appearing as a guest speaker at special events to inspire others with their story and spread the word about Outset’s fully funded service. Alternatively, they can make a donation to The Outset Foundation charity.

The Ambassador initiative is yet another way that the innovative Outset service strives to deliver a longer-lasting impact in the community, helping to maintain high sustainability rates and enriching the expertise of the core service.

To date, Outset services operating around the country have supported the creation of over 4,000 new businesses and more than 4,400 new jobs.

For more information, please contact:

Jane Cormack
Head of Marketing, YTKO Group

tel. 01223 903 916
e. jane.cormack@ytko.com