European Social Fund in England

"I love being my own boss"

A heart attack at the age of just 37 left Terry Oliver unable to work.

The former roofer from South Yorkshire was on Incapacity Benefit for two years and although he wanted to get back into employment, he couldn’t return to such a physically demanding trade.

After much thought and research into the type of work that would suit his health and lifestyle, Terry decided he would like to re-train as a locksmith.

His benefits adviser at the Jobcentre arranged for him to attend a locksmith training course and on completion he was referred to the European Social Fund (ESF) Self-Employment Programme, run by A4e.

With the help and support of his tutor Philip Smith, Terry developed his idea into a sound business plan and launched Animals Locksmith Services just three months after starting on the programme.

To give him a unique selling point, Terry uses his motorbike to get to clients, ensuring a swift response, especially in emergencies. He has now been trading for six months.

Terry, who lives in Spotbrough, near Doncaster, said he found the group environment of the course really encouraging.

‘We went through how to set it up, work out your taxes - everything to do with setting up a business,’ said Terry, who is now 40.

‘There were two others on my course - one was setting up as a relaxation therapist, another was setting up a steam-cleaning company.

‘The atmosphere of the group was great.

‘It got me in the right frame of mind for setting up a business.’

Terry said the programme gave him a ‘much better idea about how to go about things’.

‘Philip got me on the right road,’ he said. ‘The programme showed us how we should tackle problems and issues that crop up while running a business.

‘I got to grips with book-keeping and accounting - I’m now at the standard where I can do my own books.’

With a £500 grant for tools, Terry launched the business in December 2009 and is confident about the future.

‘I love being my own boss with no one above me,’ said Terry.

‘It was a bit slow to start with but it’s picking up now - I’m getting more and more work as the weeks go on.

‘I work for whoever needs me - it’s mostly domestic, and I’m doing a bit of sub-contracting for a business.

‘The programme has been great, I’d definitely recommend it.’

Philip added: ‘Terry joined us in September last year having been out of action for a couple of years due to illness.

‘He is a very motivated guy who has completely reinvented himself and his business and gone into something very new - locksmithing.

‘His success relates to a different approach emphasising the speed of response to customer problems by his use of motorbike (he loves bikes), and he has managed to get a foothold in organisations by sheer determination and talking to people.

‘And last but not least, he has provided his services to get A4e out of a jam a couple of times.’

Project notes

The ESF Self-Employment Programme is run by A4e. It currently takes 100 people a year across South Yorkshire and runs in Barnsley, Doncaster and Sheffield.

Participants are taught about all aspects of running a business from branding and marketing to sources of finance and tax matters.

The programme runs from June 2008 until June 2011. As of June 2010, the programme had helped 224 clients, with around 65% surviving in business after six months.

The co-financing organisation is the Department for Work and Pensions.