Bradley Newlove from Stockton-On-Tees came to Five Lamps in February 2015, for help in developing his business idea for a Car Detailing and Valeting business
He had experience in this field but he had been unemployed for a while and had never ran his own business, so understandably, he was feeling daunted by the prospect.
He met with Business Advisor Ian Garforth from the Five Lamps Enterprise team who gave him free one to one guidance, support and advice over a period of four months, and informed him that, as he was on JSA, he qualified for the New Enterprise Allowance programme which would pay him £1270 over 26 weeks as a new business start-up.
Ian also helped him access a grant from Shaw Trust to help with his advertising, equipment and insurances.
Following some networking, market research and having completed a Business Plan, Bradley felt more confident about the sustainability of this venture. He also attended Five Lamps’ ‘We Mean Business’ workshops which covered subjects like finding and keeping customers, how to maximise social media, planning the business and book keeping, self-assessment and tax.
Bradley started ‘Ultimate Detailing and Valeting’ based in Stockton in June 2015 and has had a good start with a healthy workflow from private customers and car dealerships. Ultimate Detailing and Valeting can be contacted on; 07906241996.
Of the service he received, Brad said:
“Ian helped me so much to get my business started. He was so patient with me and I got there in the end. I am still learning as I go on but I would never have got my business started if it was not for Ian and my partner who believed in me. In the future I hope to have my own premises for detailing the best cars”
Business Advisor Ian Garforth said:
“In a tough economic environment, Car detailing is a difficult business to establish as it can be seen as a luxury service, but Brad has worked very hard to find customers through extensive social media work, word of mouth and cold calling car dealers to develop a steady workflow. I have personally used Brad’s detailing service. He used top quality products and the results were amazing and great value too. My car looks like new now and he did all this at my workplace. No wonder Brad has plenty of customers, it’s a brilliant service!”
Ultimate Dealing and Valeting can be contacted on; 07906241996 or by Facebook ‘Ultimate Detailing and Valeting’ which has photos of some of Bradleys excellent work.
The New Enterprise Allowance is a DWP contract for people on Job Seekers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance or lone parent income support.