Work for yourself and make a difference to your local community

Setting up your own business can seem like a daunting task. If you are hoping to offer care and personal services, business support is available.

Worcestershire County Council are working with Community Catalysts to help local people use their talents to set up small businesses, offering a wide range of flexible and creative care and support options such as help at home or community activities. These businesses are called Community Micro Enterprises – or CMEs for short.

One example of a CME is ‘Hospital to Home’. They are one of the many independent, local care providers that offer a person-centred cleaning and assistance service. They help people returning home from hospital by ensuring their home is cleaned and made ready for their return.

Reflecting on their journey, one of the team told us: "‘Hospital to Home’ cleaning services is now six months old and is getting great reviews from other professionals. We are so glad we took the leap to be self-employed and are going from strength to strength. Being self-employed has given us the freedom to enjoy a better work-life balance. We are passionate about the work we do and now have more of a drive to succeed.”

Councillor Adrian Hardman, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care said: “Helping people stay independent for as long as possible is a key priority for our residents. I am so proud of all the people who are setting up help and support services in our community, it’s a wonderful opportunity for people to experience entrepreneurship alongside the joys of working locally.”

If you or someone you know is interested in working for themselves offering care and support, Community Catalysts can help.

They offer professional advice to help you start offering care and support to your local community.

The type of services you can offer is completely up to you. Many people work as personal assistants, offer hobby-based activities, personal care, support to people with tasks to help them stay independent at home, and help people access things in the community.

There’s plenty of support available for people interested in setting up their own local business, or community micro-enterprise. Launa, Worcestershire’s representative, from Community Catalysts will be with you every step of the way.

If you want to set up your own service offering support services to local people, Community Catalysts can help. Visit Community Catalysts webpage to learn more or contact Launa at launa.brooks@communitycatalysts.co.uk

Worcestershire County Council also offer support for new entrepreneurs who want to start a business. You can learn more about the support available on the business support and grants pages of the Worcestershire County Council website.