Business Idea Incubation Hub

The MAIN Project are working on an exciting new Entrepreneurial Workshop Programme aimed at adults who may have the following; Autistic Spectrum Condition including Aspergers, a Mental Health need or Learning Disability.

The Business Idea Incubation Hub will provide a workshop programme and business idea generation, from this viable business ideas can then form new enterprises and will be eligible for a period of sustained support working with the MAIN Enterprise team as incubation hubs.

Individuals may not have a business idea but I would encourage them to come along and gain valuable experience from some of our business mentors. The project will aim to improve confidence and understanding of a business environment as well as providing a hub for new businesses.

We believe that this is a great opportunity to support those individuals who historically have difficulties finding and maintaining employment. Our aim is to empower individuals to gain confidence in their own abilities so that they can look at self employment as an option to gaining a successful career.

The Incubation Hub will work with citizens who have ASD, Learning difficulties or Mental Health Issues. The service will support citizens in a unique personalised, person centred approach, to gaining skills and support to develop social business ventures.

This will happen in 3 stages;

Stage 1: Referral's (Expression of interest form) In this stage citizens can be referred by various routes including third sector engagement, Job centre plus, Adult and Transition social work teams, disability networks, NHS, ULO's and colleges. From the referral stage citizens will be assessed for suitability to move onto stage two.

Stage 2: A series of 10 staged opportunities inviting specialist mentors, tutors, business planners, motivational therapists, drama and therapeutic artists, to interact and advise directly with the citizens through a structured approach to entrepreneurial outcomes. Task focused sessions will support citizens visually, communicated at a personalised level.

Stage 3: The Incubation Hub From the work shop stage, citizens can turn their business idea into a real social enterprise supported by business mentors, admin and financial support, which will help turn their ideas into real social enterprises. Our partner enterprises, The Main Meal and Event, will offer work placements and opportunities for citizen's progression.