At the start of the summer, seven young women had just completed Teen Action’s NCFE-accredited Business Start-Up programme. They had gained knowledge of how to set up a business, but many still felt uncertain about whether they could translate that learning into real life. In their marginalised communities entreurpeurnership isn’t common. This left some of the young women feeling that running a business was “out of reach” for someone like them. As one participant said, “I knew the steps in theory, but I couldn’t picture myself actually running a business.”

To bridge this gap, Teen Action designed an entreurpeurnership Summer Programme that connected young women directly with local female entrepreneurs. Over eight interactive workshops, participants heard from a wide range of business owners – from a copywriter and photographer to a home organiser, confectioner, and business consultant. These women shared their journeys candidly: the challenges of balancing family life, the risks of starting out, and the pride of building something for themselves.

For the young women, meeting successful entrepreneurs from their own community was transformative. They could see women who had overcome systemic exclusions, launched businesses, and still managed family commitments.

One participant reflected, “It was so inspiring to hear from women in our own community who have made it work. It made me realise I don’t have to choose between my family and having a career – I can do both.”

Alongside the workshops, participants were offered 1:1 mentoring sessions with Teen Action’s Youth Worker. These sessions created a safe space for reflection, where young women explored their personal ambitions, set goals, and developed realistic action plans. Mentors also signposted participants to external business start-up funding and support programmes, including UnLtd, Funding Circle, Capital City College’s free Business Start-Up training, and the Prince’s Trust, ensuring they had clear progression routes beyond the summer.

The impact was clear. Confidence levels grew as the young women saw pathways into entrepreneurship that felt realistic and relatable. They began to refine their own business ideas and felt empowered to take the next steps. One young woman shared, “I always loved baking, but I never thought of it as a real option. Hearing from a confectioner who started small and built her own brand showed me that maybe I can too.”

By the end of the programme, the group had not only strengthened their business knowledge but had also gained a sense of belonging to a wider network of supportive women. The workshops, mentoring, and signposting combined to transform abstract learning into lived examples, offering proof that entrepreneurship is possible.

As one participant summed up, “Before, I saw starting a business as just a dream. Now, I see it as something I can actually do.”

This project was supported by a grant from London Youth partnering with CVC, with additional funding from RDAS.