| DIVERGENCES/ SIMILARITIES OF ISSUES | IMPROVEMENT IDEAS |
| Legal framework for starting businesses | Ensuring all legal structures surrounding business start-up are easily understood, inexpensive and accessible to all potential entrepreneurs. |
| The seemingly negative tax regime in one Region | Research is needed to investigate the negative effect of present tax policies and potential new tax policies that avoid disincentivising business-starts |
| Variances in the social attributes where large areas of deprivation exist. This issue was present in two of the four regions | Further research is recommended as it seems that support may need to be geared to provide additional specialized provision where large areas of deprivation exist. |
| Alternative positive outcomes e.g. training and employment were seen as an important part of the overall provision | Ensure enterprise support programs for DG include the ability to promote and foster alternative positive outcomes. |
| Lack of understanding of mainstream business advice/information/training services to support disadvantaged groups | Select and train business advisers/trainers/mentors to enable then to deal effectively with people from DG |
| Difficulties with engagement of people from disadvantaged groups who may be suitable for starting a business. | More research into engaging with DG to understand how this can be done effectively and efficiently to bring the desired results. We believe a feet on the street’ approach, working through other, local community and voluntary organizations that are already known and trusted may be most suitable. |
| Numerous points of contact for DG to access support cause confusion and duplicate resource | Create only one referent point with a single person supporting the DG to start the advising process, a Coordinator |
| Lack of confidence and self-esteem exhibited in the DG. Can be overcome with specialist and sustained support. | Support for people from DG needs to be on a one-to one basis with the same co-ordinator and/or business adviser and sustained over period of time.
The network coordinator must have the kind of skills to motivate, help overcome barriers and make the process easier. |
People from DG need one to one support, especially to understand financial issues.
We recognize the small group approach can also be really effective when dealing with DG. This support cost-efficient, but the networking/shared problem-solving and realization that there are others like them, can be invaluable and greatly appreciated. | More research into engaging with DG to understand how this can be done effectively to bring the desired results.
The Network Coordinator must be able to activate processes either on a “one to one” or of “small group”. The small group method is useful in order to face the common technical aspects to the development of an entrepreneurial idea; the one to one method must be used in order to reach personalized solutions (i.e.: the business plan can be introduced to a small group; its adaptation and correction must be realised on one to one basis) |
| Difficulties of finding appropriate funding | Specialized funding streams should be made available for both market research and business start-up costs. |
| Fear of moving out of state benefits | More research is needed regarding methods to move people out of state benefits and into enterprise when initially earnings may be less or similar to the benefits they have been receiving |
| The time needed to support people from DG not just in the amount of support needed but the length of time over which it was spread. | Support needs to be tailored around self development as well as addressing the business issues
Employment and training outcomes should be part of the objectives
Support must also be provided once the business idea is seen to be viable to help carry forward the idea to implementation and the first few months of trading |
| Low educational achievement was not necessarily a barrier to starting an enterprise | More government/ regional publicity and support for this statement |
