New Tyneside boot camp boost thanks to free skills training

Two North East entrepreneurs have seen the number of people signing up for their boot camp training double in size thanks to skills gained on a free business improvement course.

Floriane Rodriguez, a Pilates teacher, from North Shields, and Barbara Tennet, a fitness instructor from South Shields who runs her own boxing training venture, have formed ‘Kickstart Your Summer’ after meeting on a ‘Boost Your Business’ course.

The move has led to a high level of enquiries about their boot camp in South Shields, after the budding entrepreneurs launched the venture using newly acquired social media and digital marketing skills.

Led by North-East Enterprise Agency (NEEAL), ‘Boost your Business’ is part of a £1m package of training support being rolled out to local organisations, as part of the regional skills and enterprise programme Go>Grow funded through the European Social Fund (ESF).

Floriane, who attended the course to revamp her own Pilates business, said her and Barbara’s social media skills have ‘flourished’ thanks to the course, paving the way to increased bookings through better and more targeted online marketing.

She said: “The course provided a real strategic insight in to running a small enterprise, and the skills and confidence we gained have helped us get customers onboard very quickly. We’re really excited about our prospects and can’t wait to build further on our initial success.”

‘Boost Your Business’ training is delivered by North East Enterprise Agency Ltd, which is a pan-regional group of enterprise agencies across designed to help businesses grow.

Adam Clemerson, NEEAL’s skills project manager, said: “Floriane and Barbara are a great example of how people benefit from these courses. They provide entrepreneurs with the new skills to thrive through relevant and bespoke training.”

Ivan Jepson, director of business development at Gateshead College, who manage the Go>Grow programme said: “Free training offered through Go>Grow is opening new doors and opportunity for North East entrepreneurs.

“It’s great to see that this course has been a big boost for Floriane and Barbara, inspiring them to start up a new friendship as well as a new business venture.”

Go>Grow has the backing of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership and North-East England Chamber of Commerce, with tailormade programmes created and delivered at any of the Go>Grow training provider sites, or within the premises of the individual businesses.

Between 30-50 local businesses attend each ‘Boost Your Business’ course. As well as the previously mentioned topics the course focuses on measuring effectiveness of digital promotion, planning and carrying out projects, evaluating project skills and sales pitches.