Dawn Bell Consultancy Services
SUMMARY ANNUAL REPORT 2015
28th January 2016
/ Background
Dawn has a learning disability and a visual impairment. She started her business in September 2014
She offers services to organisations and people with disabilities to help disabled people:-
(a) have a better and more fulfilling life, and to
(b) help organisations better help disabled people
The main help Dawn has provided since her business started is training and sharing the story of running a business as a woman with a learning disability.
Dawn’s Business Progress – 2015
Dawn has achieved many things since starting including:-
(a) Applied for and gained Access to Work Funding
(b) Gained Permitted work support from DWP
(c) Recruited a support ‘team’ to help her run her business
(d) Written to many organisations to tell them about her business
(e) Spoken to colleagues from Social Services about her business and how she can help other people
(f) Spoken to over 40 people with disabilities who wanted to find out more about Self Employment
(g) Met with colleagues from the National Learning Disability Alliance and showed people from Paradigm in London about her work
(h) Visited the Houses of Parliament
(i) Gained her first paid contract with the Community Housing and Support Network and supported us to run our Self Employment Course for disabled people
(j) Received her first work payments
(k) Learnt how to present herself in a professional way
(I) Learnt more about public speaking and doing presentations
(m) Completed and submitted her first tax return
(n) Spoken on the radio about her business and self-employment generally
The Help Dawn Gets to Run Her Business
Dawn has supporters to help her do her work and manage her business. This help comes from Marion and Karon Turner-Hawes, from the Community Housing and Support Network
Dawn has also received funding and personal skills support from Northamptonshire Learning Partnership Disability Board, and her role as Co-Chair has really helped her understand the market for her services.
Dawn’s role as Chair at Central England People First has also helped.
The Finances of Dawn’s Business
The money side of any business can be challenging. Dawn has worked hard to understand this part.
As Dawn needs 1 to 1 support to run her business it costs her more than others, so it may take some time for her to be ‘in profit’.
Dawn has received helped from the Government’s Access to Work Programme to help her with her support costs. Given this Dawn’s actual running costs have been quite low.
Dawn’s Accounts
During her 1st year Dawn had no income from her business so she made a ‘loss’. In this year so far Dawn has earnt some money by helping the Network with training so already she is doing much better.
Dawns Present and Future Work
The work Dawn has been doing to support the Network on their Self Employment activities has been very successful.
Dawn supportedby:-
(a)Sharing her business and work story, and
(b)Assisting with some of the presenting
The Network already has interest to run the course elsewhere and wewill be promoting our self-employment work more widely to regional and national bodies,where it is hoped we will be able to help more disabled people think about self-employment.
Challenges in the Next 12 months
(1) Covering Her Business Support Costs
Dawn needs 1 to 1 support to work. She had Access to Work support for a year to help pay for this but it will end on 1st Feb 2016.
Unfortunately, as Dawn is on ESA (Employment Support Allowance) she can only receive Access to Work support for 52 weeks before a break of a further 52 weeks. Without this support it will make helping Dawn to keep her business going very difficult,unless she can get help from elsewhere.
(2) Finding a Work Base
Dawn has had difficulty finding a place to work.
This is important for Dawn as she is registered blind and needs special equipment to make it easier for her to work. We aim to help her to find a work base this year
(3) Helping Dawnto Learn New Skills
As well as learning about running her business Dawn has also been developing many of her work skills. She will need to do more of this in the next 12 months.
In 2015 Dawn has been focusing on developing her presentation and public speaking skills. Dawn is always very keen to learn.
In the next 12 months Dawn will need to spend more time:-
(1) Learning ‘selling and marketing’ skills
(2) Developing her computer skills
(3) Testing her advocacy and speaking up skills
(4) Developing her money management awareness
(5) And working on her Business admin skills
Partnership Working
To get more customers Dawn plans to make contact with other organisations that support disabled people to work, including Government Office. These include:-
-Members of the Learning Disability Alliance
-The Centre for Welfare Reform
-Various Government Offices and
-Other work and campaign groups
Dawn is also aiming to develop her advocacy work and is keen to partner with organisations who may like a
disabled person to help promote their services.
If you are interested in Dawn doing this for your organisation please get in touch.
In Summary
Dawn has done really well in her first full year of business. It is very sad that the rules around Access to Work mean the funding for her support will end, particularly as Dawn is developing a good business for herself. Well Done Dawn!
Getting in Touch
If you would like Dawn to come and help you or to share her story about her business, or you want to learn more about the special help we can provide to help disabled people think about starting their own business, then please get in touch with Marion Turner-Hawes.
We’d love to hear from you……
Marion Turner-Hawes
Director and Coordinator,
Community Housing and Support Network
01933 381467,
31stJanuary 2016