Kickstart Your Business

Blog series Innovation and enterprise

What happens when you bring practical business support into local communities?

Between May 2023 and June 2026, Kickstart Your Business brought the British Library’s Business & IP Centre (BIPC) into public libraries across seven London boroughs: Bromley, Camden, Enfield, Greenwich, Lewisham, Waltham Forest and Wandsworth.

Supported by JPMorganChase and delivered in partnership with local library services, the two-day programme gave almost 8,000 Londoners free, practical support to explore their business ideas and take their next steps. Alongside an introduction to starting a business, participants could access workshops, networks, resources and ongoing support through their local BIPC.

The programme was designed to reach the Londoners least likely to use mainstream business support. An independent evaluation by Thrive Economics has looked at how the support worked in practice and the difference it made. It also highlights the growing demand for accessible business support in local communities and what this means for the future of entrepenurship in the capital.

The impact at a glance

• ~ 8,000 marginalised participants served across seven London boroughs
• 90% of Kickstart Your Business participants are from an under-represented group
• ~ 460 businesses created by participants
• ~ 1,220 jobs created, including new founders
• 8 in 10 had never used business support before
• 9 in 10 left more motivated and determined to keep going
• £3,080 cost per net job created
• £2.72 returned in economic benefit for every £1 spent.

Stories behind the stats

These numbers only tell part of the story. Behind them are people from across London, at different stages of their business journeys and from all walks of life. The stories below offer a glimpse into the diverse range of people who benefited from Kickstart Your Business and the wider support available through BIPC Locals across London. What connects them is that they were able to find practical, accessible support close to home, through their local library to start and grow their businesses.

Taariq Ahmad — Fernwood Events, Bromley

Taariq Ahmad registered Fernwood Events, a Bromley venue-finding agency, in 2023 while employed, after 26 years in hotels. He knew venues but had not run a company, and found online information fragmented. Via Startup Bromley he joined Kickstart Your Business, returning for customer research, the Business Model Canvas, COBRA and intellectual property. The IP sessions covered trade marks, copyright and protecting confidential client lists. Fernwood has since taken bookings outside the UK, including a 400-person Dubai conference and one in Tahiti.

Helen Ceesay — Julurie, Lewisham

Sensitive skin that ruled out much jewellery led Helen Ceesay to Julurie. She sold her tarnish-free, hypoallergenic pieces online alongside part-time work; structured business support was new to her. A Lewisham Council email pointed her to Kickstart Your Business, and then to further workshops, six weeks of online mentoring with Start Up Lewisham and grant advice. Markets and pop-ups gave her practice in presenting her products and talking to customers. She now sells at markets and through the House of Lewisham Marketplace, and has delivered events selling ‘permanent’ welded-on jewellery with major retailers.

Brendan Kennedy — Sidekick, Wandsworth

After voluntary redundancy from senior account management, Brendan Kennedy set up Sidekick in September 2025, helping small businesses run their brand across print, social and digital. He was already trading when a friend sent an Eventbrite link. He wanted reassurance that nothing had been overlooked, and a free two-day course at Putney Library, backed by the British Library, was a low-cost check. The intellectual property session led to one specific action: he trade marked the Sidekick logo, modelled on his late dog.

Lolita Sanders — Umthi, Greenwich

Herbalism runs in Lolita Sanders’ family. When friends sent couriers for the natural haircare she made at home, demand was clear; Umthi began trading in 2022. Building the business on her own was isolating. Startup Greenwich, the borough BIPC Local, provided workshops on social media and photography, workspace for her interns, open-door advice and a £500 grant during a difficult trade mark dispute. Encouraged by staff into her first speaking engagement, she went on to pitch and reach a competition final. In 2026 Umthi was named Sustainability Champion at the Royal Borough of Greenwich Business Awards.

Dimitri Dzneladze — Cronera, Waltham Forest

After 15 years in coffee shops, Dimitri Dzneladze wanted his own. Unemployed, refused loans and drafting a business plan, he found BIPC Waltham Forest. Rather than the two-day course, his support was one-to-one sessions with a BIPC adviser, which tested his thinking and kept him motivated; a British Library event connected him with peers. When a former customer offered office space and equipment, he was ready. Cronera now trades in Walthamstow, with regular customers and exhibitions where local artists sell work at no charge.

Sarah Bennett-Nash — Ikonology Media, Camden

Two years into her business, with coaches already behind her, Sarah Bennett-Nash received a British Library email about Kickstart Your Business. Ikonology Media was shifting from coaching to LinkedIn and podcasting support, with a new brand about to launch. Rather than an introduction to starting up, she needed the intellectual property basics checked. Day 1 covered that ground. Afterwards she went through the brand’s IP arrangements, spotted what she had missed and fixed it, coming away with useful founder connections.

Olu Shobowale and Emma Archibald — Papertunity, Enfield

Papertunity turns waste paper into materials for arts, crafts and creative learning. Olu Shobowale had run workshops since 2021; with Emma Archibald, first an investor and now Operations Director, the company was registered in December 2024. A conversation at Edmonton Green Library in January 2026 introduced them to BIPC Manager James Baxter. Day jobs ruled out the two-day workshops, so they used online sessions, one-to-one advice, the library’s business forums and GrantFinder. A stall at a Start-up Saturday event in Enfield Town led to a Year 2 school workshop, and grant criteria prompted them to become a CIC, with James’s support, in summer 2026.

Building a stronger start-up journey across London

Kickstart Your Business was not about offering a single route into entrepreneurship. It was about making support available in local communities, meeting people at whatever stage they were at and helping them take the next step.

The evaluation shows both the scale of that demand and the value of connecting people to ongoing support. With 83% of participants having never used business support before and nearly three-quarters arriving with just an idea, the programme opened the door to further resources, connections and opportunities that continue to turn ambition into action.

Got a business idea?

Kickstart Your Business showed how the right support, at the right time, can help turn an idea into action.

If you’re ready to take that first step, we’re here to help with a range of free resources, events, workshops and one-to-one support to help you get started.

• Check out Start-up Day, our annual event packed with practical, jargon-free sessions, expert insights and opportunities to connect with other aspiring entrepreneurs.
• Explore our start-up resources, including our free, downloadable toolkit.
• Browse our programme of events, workshops and sessions, designed to support you at every stage of your business journey, all year round.