Case Study
business
development
PRIME
Retirement suits some people well, but others find it
harder to turn their back on the world of work.
Whether the reason is the need
to keep earning money, or simply
the need to keep active, a growing
number of people are setting out
on a new business career in their
50s, 60s or even 70s.
So what sort of help is available
for people considering the route
to building a late-career business?
PRIME, a charity founded by
Prince Charles, is the only
national organisation dedicated
to helping people aged 50 or
over to start their own businesses
or enterprises.
PRIME’s own primary task has
become reaching the hard-to-reach
– those individuals who are not
likely to find their own way to the
existing business support structure
under their own steam, but for
whom self-employment might
still be a good solution. And there
are many of them. In the UK,
self-employment is a rather
neglected option and many people
do not realise that they might
be in a position to start their own
business and thereby create their
own livelihood.
PRIME has a network of over
200 partner organisations that
can offer free or low-cost support.
Details can be found of these
services on PRIME’s website at
www.primebusinessclub.com -
just type in a postcode to find
the nearest one – six are in Kent.
PRIME’s own
primary task
has become
reaching the
hard-to-reach
Tony and Carol Avard, from Whitfield
on the outskirts of Dover, for
example, have built on a successful
amateur interest in dogs to set up
their own business.
They have been breeding and
showing Dobermanns for years as
keen amateurs, even producing
a Crufts best-of-breed champion.
When Tony was 58 the couple went
professional, starting Drava Canine
Services. Specialising in breeding
Dobermanns, the business also
runs training courses for other
dogs and dog owners. The Avards
received help and advice with
arranging finance for their new
venture from PRIME.
Contact:
PRIME (the Prince’s Initiative for
Mature Enterprise): 0800 783 1904
Email:prime@ace.org.uk
www.primebusinessclub.com
41
Rita and Frazer Spence launches
their own internet business after
they retired