Ambitions of a Gardener – John’s Story

Following a ten-year career gap due to health issues, John was eager to get back into work and already had a job goal in mind but wasn’t sure where to start.

John discussed his future work ambitions, which led to the idea of self-employment as a route back into work, as John had shown his passion for hobbies which he could transfer into a career and business.

Employment Adviser, Stuart, told us:

“We discussed the pros and cons of pursuing a self-employment route, which quickly progressed into support with market research and branding to identify John’s potential customer base. I supported him with his ideas and included a financial overview, and a Better Off Calculation, as this demonstrated how financially better off John would be when the business started trading along with assisting him with the registration for HMRC.”

Stuart supported John by providing new equipment and arranging business insurance, which ensured John could start trading as a self-employed gardener with immediate effect. Not only has this financially supported him, but it has supported John with the first steps of setting up a business and has boosted his confidence throughout the process.

With just four weeks of support and guidance from Better Working Futures, John is now fully trading in his new business, with a busy few months ahead. John told us:

“Their support has really helped, especially with moving forward with my ideas, resulting in my business now trading. I would just like to say a big thank you to Stuart and the wider Better Working Futures team, for your help, the support I’ve had was brilliant!”