About Entrepreneurs Unlocked.
Our vision is to change futures through entrepreneurship.
This started back at the end of 2019, a few months before everyone was impacted by the global pandemic. Times were challenging, both for the organisation and the people we sought to help. Being entrepreneurial has enabled the business to survive, and it looks to grow over the next 2 years and be able to support more people than ever.
The number of people who have engaged in exploring their talent has risen from just over 100 people in year one, to 200 in each of years two and three.
As our reach increased, year four ended with 300 people being engaged with.
Our fifth year saw a further increase to 400 people!
That’s over 1200 people which is just mind-blowing.
The aim for 2025 is to reach 500 people.
Most of you, like myself, will be fortunate enough to have never been in trouble with the police and come from a loving and supportive home. You’ll have stayed at school, completed your education and gone on to great things because you had a steady start in life.
Not everyone has had the same experience, and they will have become trapped in a cycle of offending. A criminal record will often be a barrier to a job, so self-employment and entrepreneurship could be the solution.
Why I Set Up Entrepreneurs Unlocked.
A career that started in corporate environments led to coaching and supporting people in further and higher education. While working for the largest prison education provider in England, I became the lead for enterprise and self-employment. As a result, I substantially increased the number of prisons that delivered workshops and courses that enabled learners to develop entrepreneurial skills. As a result, it was evident that many prison residents had the skills to be their boss.
Then, in 2018 I travelled to the USA, as part of my Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship, to research best practice entrepreneurship programmes in custody and the community. These programmes all had less than 10% reoffending rates, compared to the US average of over 60%. The learning and knowledge I gained helped to inform my practice, and the stories of hope and inspiration of the people I met gave me the catalyst to set up my own business at the end of 2019.
10 years of working with people in custody and the community have proven to me that there’s a huge pot of untapped entrepreneurial talent in the justice system. I truly believe those skills and mindset can change people’s lives, reduce reoffending and improve communities.
Our Network
Being a small organisation, having a strong network is essential to build a collaborative approach, so Entrepreneurs Unlocked is proud to have developed mutually beneficial relationships with organisations such as:
Federation of Small Businesses
The FSB provides a wealth of information, advice and networking opportunities across Greater Manchester and the rest of the UK. Being a member enables access to a wide range of services including legal, insurance, documentation and of course the ability to connect with other small businesses.
Being an active member enables us to engage in networking events, writing articles, giving mini-lectures and even having the opportunity of having a great video produced too.
Our Grant Funders
We are humbled to have been supported since the beginning of our CIC through grant funding provided by:
This has enabled to continue our services through the covid pandemic, develop a new digital learning platform, crowdfund to support people into construction, run business pitching events, provide tools and equipment to people setting up, strengthen our marketing and PR activities, develop and set up innovative business incubator.
We thank each and everyone for all they have done to enable us to help others.
Who We Work With
Courtesy of winning a procurement tender, we are commissioned by HMPPS to deliver our self-employment programme to 5 prisons in the Northwest, namely HMP Buckley Hall, Risely, Hindley, Thorn Cross and Liverpool.
We are commissioned to work with 200 people across these five prisons, and are on track to exceed these numbers over the duration of the contract. For those men identified as wanting to work in the construction sector (potentially as self-employed subcontractors) we work with our delivery partner Inside Connections to enable people to gain their GQA CSCS partner card to be site ready on release.
We have also been providing monthly self-employment workshops to HMP Forest Bank and HMP Wymott helping over 200 people to explore self-employment.
Through funding from The Allen Lane Foundation and National Lottery Awards for All, we have delivered our Inspiring Speaker Sessions to a 300 people in since June 2023.
We have previously provided support to people on probation, with referrals coming from CF03 provider Achieve Northwest Connect, who operate across the Northwest.
With our partnership with: Momentic, we have run masterclasses on self-employment at HMP Leyhill and Sudbury.
Our Ambassador Initiative
In 2024, this initiative was launched, and it utilises former prisoners turned successful business owners to share their stories with people in prison. The programme aims to motivate, inspire, and encourage individuals to pursue self-employment and create a crime-free future.
John Hastings, Director of Recycle-IT CIC, and Sam Smith, founder of Genuine Futures CIC, were the first ambassadors to join the programme. John Hastings, who once struggled with self-belief after multiple convictions and custodial sentences, now runs a successful business. He hopes to inspire others with his story of overcoming obstacles and achieving entrepreneurial success.
Sam Smith, who spent much of his youth in care and youth offender institutions, is now a social entrepreneur. He looks forward to sharing his journey and helping others in prison or on probation to consider their own entrepreneurial path.
The latest to join the programme are Gary Rockcliffe and Darryl Kennedy, both of whom bring unique experiences and powerful stories of personal transformation
Gary’s entrepreneurial journey began over eight years ago before founding Perigon Associates, a company with the vision to support people across various sectors. However, his path wasn’t without challenges. Following a difficult experience in prison, where he faced severe depression, Gary made a life-changing decision to turn his experience into an opportunity for growth.
Darryl Kennedy, who has been out of prison for five years, has since become a dedicated advocate for crime prevention and community well-being, working with educational institutions and police forces across England and Wales.
Since its launch, the ambassadors have engaged with over 200 people in 10 prisons, as well as representing Entrepreneurs Unlocked at numerous networking and celebration events, sharing their story and inspiring others.
How We Have Helped
Preparation for Through the Gate
This report evaluates a program designed to support prisoners preparing for reintegration into society, specifically through self-employment and entrepreneurial pathways. Funded by The National Lottery, the program addresses the significant social and economic impacts of re-offending in England, where over 60,000 prisoners are released annually. Re-offending costs are estimated to be as high as £18 billion per year, making successful reintegration programs essential.
The report highlights that by providing tailored entrepreneurship workshops, the program equips participants with skills such as business planning, marketing, and financial management.
Business Incubator in the Community
This report details a project to support people on probation in Greater Manchester in developing entrepreneurial skills. Funded by The Churchill Fellowship, the project aims to reduce re-offending by helping participants acquire the knowledge and tools needed to start their own businesses. The program, hosted at The Shed in Salford, provided weekly workshops for 15 months, focusing on essential business skills such as product development, marketing, finance, and legal requirements.
The report highlights three primary goals:
1. Skill Development: Enabling participants to turn business ideas into tangible products or services, with 75% of participants achieving this.
2. Self-Employment: Encouraging self-employment, with 50% of participants test-trading or starting their businesses.
3. Employment Readiness: Helping participants gain employable skills, with 20% securing jobs.
To receive a full copy of either report, drop us a message via the contact page!
Achievements And Recognition
Amplifying the voice of people in prison and on probation who need help and support to lead crime free futures is something that Entrepreneurs Unlocked strives to achieve. One of the ways to promote entrepreneurship and its achievement is through peer recognition. Over the last 5 years, there have been a number of opportunities to highlight this.
We are proud to be that voice, and start conversations that lead to people changing their mindset about people with convictions and understanding the need for expert help and support.
Contact.
Please use the form below for all enquiries and bookings or call us on 01204 263002.