After losing his job, Frank, 33, from Bristol, found that the longer he was unemployed, the harder it was to find work. After countless rejections, he started to suffer from depression, insomnia and anxiety.
Throughout this difficult period, Frank always maintained a passion for bicycles. He was a keen cyclist and enjoyed fixing bikes as an activity to give him something to do while he was unemployed.
As part of The Prince’s Trust Explore Enterprise course, Frank applied for a ‘Will it Work Grant’, which enables candidates to try out their business idea. Frank was awarded a £250 grant to source second hand bikes to refurbish and re-sell on Gumtree. He made £740 profit and used the money to take a City & Guilds course in Advanced Bike Mechanics at the Cycle Systems Academy in London.
He then received further start-up funding to enable him to take on a shop front on Redcliffe Hill in Bristol. He also received mentoring support through The Prince’s Trust from an experienced business professional in Bristol, who helped him with the essential details of setting up a business.
Eventually, Frank would like to train other fellow bike enthusiasts and take on full-time staff.
He said: I would never have been able to set up my business without the help of The Prince’s Trust. I am really pleased with the success of Re-Cycle Bristol and I hope to see the business grow in the future.
Paul Jones
Harvard alumni and former New York Times journalist. Editor of Business Matters for over 15 years, the UKs largest business magazine. I am also head of Capital Business Media's automotive division working for clients such as Red Bull Racing, Honda, Aston Martin and Infiniti.
