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Enterprise Coaching

TEDCO's award winning model of Local Community Business Coaching draws upon aspects of models implemented in urban communities around the world. TEDCO has worked in this area of coaching for over 10 years. TEDCO delivered the first national pilot of BizFizz in Jarrow from 2001-2004, and developed UCan2 in South Tyneside which has culminated in the model we have today.

In 2008, Woodholmes Group was commissioned by One North East to carry out research into community business coaching in the region. This research identified that TEDCO's model is an example of best practice in community business coaching work within the region. For example, proactive client engagement, recruitment, staff team dynamics, community connections and has highlighted the model of support as comparable to other established models such as Sirolli's Enterprise Facilitation model and BizFizz. In September 2008, the TEDCO Local Community Business Coaching project won the National Award for Community Regeneration from The National Federation of Enterprise Agencies.

TEDCO's Local Community Business Coaching model reaches and inspires potential entrepreneurs in the most difficult to reach parts of communities, including communities suffering deprivation and poverty and those in areas that traditional business support activity is unable to engage with successfully.

TEDCO's model has been replicated within the North East using our specialist knowledge and experiences of Local Community Business Coaching processes and principles.

Recruitment of the right kind of people for Local Community Business Coaches is key to its success. Through our knowledge of social networks and experience of what works in practice we have a unique and effective model of recruiting Coaches.

We can also help understand processes, personal specification, tools, workshops and building relationships with key social networks. We can help apply the principles and processes in other areas of the UK. Several areas have sought consultancy support from TEDCO to develop Local Community Business Coaches.

Local Community Business Coaches provide very intensive levels of support, taking a significantly different approach to other forms of start-up provision. This allows the potential entrepreneur to explore themselves and their business idea in a safe environment.

The support is client led which means that the client is the decision maker in this process. They decide whether to take the next step, whether an idea is viable, what they want to explore next, how often they want to access support and finally what they want to do at the end of the support. There is no obligation for the client to become self-employed or start a business, and the outcome of a client's enterprise journey is up to them. If they want to go into training, employment, volunteering, or simply stay where they are after receiving support then that is their choice. The coach's role is to empower the individual, to help them to find information then enable the client to make their own choices, whatever they may be.

TEDCO is a committed, credible, and trusted partner, which has a proven track record in delivering enterprise activity, managing and delivering services for the North East's Local Authorities including, South Tyneside Council, North Tyneside Council, and supplementary work has been done in Sunderland and Stockton. All of our projects have been delivered on time, to budget and have frequently exceeded all required outputs.

Encouragement and support for enterprise is at the heart of TEDCO's mission and the customer is at the centre of everything that we deliver. This is based on our core values of service excellence and our 'know how and know who' approach to enterprise.

TEDCO has attained ISO9001 standard and is currently awaiting re-accreditation and has held the Investors in People standard since 1996. In addition, TEDCO was the first organisation in the North East to achieve the Customer First Award, recognising excellence in customer service.

TEDCO has strong links and is involved in national enterprise organisations such as North East Enterprise Agencies Ltd, The National Federation of Enterprise Agencies, and more locally on a board member of South Tyneside Groundwork Trust, South Tyneside College, and members of the South Tyneside Local Strategic Partnership, South Tyneside Enterprise Partnership and the North East Chamber of Commerce's South Tyneside Committee.

Customer Testimonials

"Working with TEDCO gave me the confidence and courage to go forward and take the next steps towards opening my own business. The workshops helped to build my practical business skills in essential areas such as finance, whilst working with Emma gave me the moral support I needed to turn my ideas into a reality. Without the help of TEDCO I would probably still be sitting at home talking about starting a business rather than actually running one." - Georgina Scott, The Wool Shop.

"I couldn't have even dreamt about doing this without the support and advice I've received from TEDCO." - Emma Symmington, ELS Dog Walking.

"I have had some great support. As well as friends and family, the Enterprise Champions from TEDCO held my hand every step of the way. We were advised to do a lot of research first before launching the business and that really paid off. I would advise other young people to go for it" - Katrina Ashby, The Salon.