Join a community
Becoming self-employed can be incredibly rewarding but also, on occasion, lonely. So it’s really important you surround yourself with people who can support you along the way: family, friends, current or former colleagues – they’re all going to be invaluable as you progress on your business journey.
It can also be helpful to get in touch with other business owners who are experiencing or have experienced the same things as you on the road to self-employment. Even if they won’t always have the answer, being able to talk to other people about what you’re going through, brainstorm new ideas, share feedback and thrash out solutions to business challenges can be an enormous support.
Our online learning platform, Outset Online, has user forums where you can connect and interact with other business owners as well as a range of mentors and advisors. You can talk to people from all over the country or network with people in your local area and the benefit is, you’ll all have worked through similar content and be able to help each other out as you go along. This can also be a good, safe environment to start testing some of your ideas, building your brand and promoting your business.
Support for female entrepreneurs
Our Enterprising Women community, which is dedicated to supporting, connecting and empowering women in business, also has a range of local business clubs dotted around the country, in which female entrepreneurs can participate. Any female-owned businesses that start-up with Outset’s support are eligible for 12-months free membership to Enterprising Women, which among other benefits includes access to mentoring support, the opportunity to promote your business to thousands of women around the country, and discounted and (sometimes) free access to a range of different business events.