New Enterprise Allowance scheme - My story

WantToBeSE

Andy2013 wrote: »

MY NEW ENTERPRISE ALLOWANCE EXPERINCE IS OVER

It was news to me but today was my last day on the scheme and if it was not for the money stopping I would have had no idea.

No phone call , letter or email just NO cash.

So my entire scheme has been as follows :

Induction November 2012
Mentor sends email to me December 2012
Mentor phones me for 1 minute 32 seconds January 2013
?
?
?
And that was it until today ,August 16th 2013 when my experience comes to an end.

HOW THE HELL HAS THAT BEEN A MENTORING SCHEME ????

A total waste of my energy and hopes of getting some guidance and advice when starting up my business, a totally shambolic excuse for getting people of JSA and " into work"

Over the past few months I have shared stories and experience's with other people on NEA and in general I have learnt I am not alone in thinking it is pointless.

At least now I am not a government statistic and I am my own boss , but it was my motivation and self belief that got me to where I am today and for that I am proud.

But at the same time I am very disappointed to have had to endure 6 months of false promises given to me on the premise that I will be given advice ,mentoring and guidance through the early hard days of starting out.

So for those whom are thinking of joining the NEA scheme listen to someone who has done it start to finish and not the posters and leaflets telling you that "they are the best scheme in the country "

NEA has been useless , except for the cash and that was not easy to obtain as they messed up payments twice.

ANYONE can go self employed, its your own self belief and motivation and desire to succeed that will make it work for you, don't use the excuse of " I have no money " ,if you want it bad enough YOU can do it , not NEA which is in my opinion designed to remove people for JSA and into "work" ,lowering the stats and make everything look rosy.

I do like a damn good moan as many of you will know, but this has been the best reason to moan in years and I am glad it is over !!!

That said I will still keep an eye on you guys and good luck to you all , keep pushing and thanks for being there giving me and each other some much needed encouragement,
something NEA never did.

I couldn't agree more with your whole post, Andy.

And i definitely agree that anyone can be self-employed. You just have to want it enough, research it, do cash flow analysis (for your own knowledge, not for NEA), market research (that has REALLY paid off for me) and be determined.
I am really pleased that i decided not to wait for the NEA scheme...if i had of waited then i still wouldn't have had my 1st meeting with a mentor after having waited 13 weeks.

Shocking!

tinytdesigns

I'm trying to do my tax return and need to find out if I am supposed to declare my NEA payments on this or not. Can anyone help please?

This_Year

Have just signed on for the last time ready for my start on Monday. Yes, I know it's Bank Holiday Monday - that suits me fine.

WantToBeSE

Yay, i bet that feels great, This Year!! I am doing a victory dance for you
Do you mind me asking what work you will be doing?

The agency that i work with has asked me if i would consider working more hours once the kids are back at school. They would like me to work 9-2 Mon, Wed, Fri and then 9-12 Tues and Thurs.
But i cant do the Tuesday as i have the other client lined up for Tuesdays as from September and they are private clients so i charge more.

pinkypoopydoo

tinytdesigns wrote: »

I'm trying to do my tax return and need to find out if I am supposed to declare my NEA payments on this or not. Can anyone help please?

You might want to phone DWP or HMRC - no-one can ever agree on the answer to that, so it depends on who you speak to!

From the AAT forum, the most recent advice is that it is NOT a taxable benefit, after being told before that it was.

s450

Hello everybody!
I wanted to report about my case.
So, I have had my first appointment with the business adviser today.
I explained to her what sort of business I have in mind.
We talked a little bit and then she let me undertand, it would be better to remain on the JSA because I might not be able to develop a business plan within 6-8 weeks and bla bla bla. She even said, I would not get any HB.
That is not true, than NEA does not affect HB. She was just afraid that I would then expect from her to help me a lot
In fact, she also said, she would not be abe to support me because they have lots of clients and so on...bla bla bla.
But then I showed her my strong interest and how clear my Idea of business is.
I also showed her a draft of leaflets that I created. In addition, I also told her that I have been creating my own website too.
So, she made up her mind and we filled up the form.
Now, on 2nd September I am supposed to send her the first draft of my business plan.
She provided me also with some information about how to create a business plan (Business Plan Guedelines) As stated into the information she provided me with,
the headling of my plan are supposed to be as follows:

executive summary
product descripiton
experience
market descripiton
operations
cost & pricing
cash flow forecasts
personal survival bduget

Now, this is a lot of work. I am wondering what should be the first step and what should my first draft for the 2nd September look like.
Many of you have lots of experience in this field. I would be glad, if you could give me some help.
What should be the steps of a successful business plan?
What are the things you have to accomplish in order your business to be approved?
Many thanks in advance for your help!

WantToBeSE

I addressed what to put in a business plan. Have a look at posts 312, 313, 317

pinkypoopydoo

The best advice for building a business plan is to make sure it is well written, clear, well researched, relevant and everything is backed up with facts. Research s the most vital part, I'd say. My business plan was held up for 2 weeks, while I waited on a government department getting back to me with one figure about self employment rates in my council area - my business plan hinged on the fact that self employment was rising sharply in my area, producing a large (and annually increasing) amount of potential clients within a 35 mile radius.

Don't make ridiculous claims about expected income. Make informed, researched claims. Understand your basic business accounts, so if you are questioned about them, you can answer with confidence.

s450

Many thanks you both!
The cash flow forecast is something difficult to deal with.
I have to find out so many things. But first now, I will have a look on postings 312, 313, 317 of @WanttobeSE

andyscott

Things dont get any better for me, was finally working out ways that I could go self employed without any help once my sanction ends only to receive a letter today tell me I am having another sanction added on which will run into December.

I got it because I had a working programme appointment but had to make an emergency appointment with doctor as I was having chest pains that day so I called working programme provider and said i would still turn up but would be about 20 mins late only for them to say they would not see me and to reschedule.


I do have a friend who is now trying their luck with NEA, he has been told two different things with regards to when you can apply for the £1000. One is telling him he applies before trading and the other is saying he has to be trading before he can apply for the £1000.

I know there is a better chance of getting the right answer on here than asking JC.