Supporter / Facilitator / Youth worker
Supported Employment Officer, Job Match, Disability Action.
https://www.disabilityaction.org/help-to-find-work
Description of your role
Supporting individuals towards employment outcomes.
Previous experience in enterprise development
Previous business owner. I’ve been supporting individuals towards self-employment since 2015.
Entrepreneur
After leaving work in 2015 due to health problems, Linzi recognised that homeworking was her most appropriate option due to the nature of her disability, though she lacked the confidence to pursue self-employment. This was where Disability Action’s Job Match stepped in when she was referred by Wendy from the Lisburn Jobs and Benefits office in Mid-2019.
She has 30 years’ experience as a Typist and Personal Secretary working within the Public Sector.
Field of Business
Audio Transcription Service.
Case Study:
Early ideas for her business included providing an ironing service or selling goods on Amazon but these were discarded to pursue Audio Transcription when we considered that this would take advantage of her experience and skills.
Job Match signposted Linzi to the Go For it programme for specialist support to develop a detailed business plan. With greater clarity on business viability we set about collaborating to design and create professional graphics to brand her business effectively. Further actions that Job Match took with Linzi included exploring what equipment she would need, how she could price her services competitively, and with what methods she could reach customers. With business cards in hand and a social media presence, she was ready to launch her business in February of 2020.
The Startup training reinforced in me the importance of recognising the need for occasionally putting myself at a distance from the business development so that the entrepreneur can gain confidence with their own decision-making; decisions that sometimes resulted in error was usually when she learnt the most. Distinguishing what areas I should support the entrepreneur with was fundamental.
Montgomery Transcription Service has gone from strength to strength and the work she’s been getting has been diverse. Linzi’s most notable work has included transcribing a script for a short film and typing a customer’s first novel.
What are your plans for the future ?
In the last few months, she has made inroads into the legal profession and television media and looks forward to these contacts bearing fruit soon.
She continues to network effectively with the aim to increase her customer reach.
Country
Northern Ireland .
