OSEP - Early Stage Peer Group

This fully funded peer group is designed to bring early-stage businesses and entrepreneurs together with a focus on understanding the benefits, opportunities and ways to bake in positive social impact and purpose to your business plans as you develop and grow.

What is a peer-to-peer group?

A peer-to-peer group is a facilitated group of individuals who are all at a similar stage in their business or organisation, keen to come together to share with and learn from one another.

What can I expect from the peer to peer group?

A safe, supportive and confidential environment to learn and share experiences, challenges and knowledge with a group of like-minded peers. 

Facilitation by experienced business mentors, who will guide the sessions, challenge and encourage your thinking and be a safe critic. 

The opportunity to make lasting, meaningful connections and find collaborative opportunities.

Gain insight and knowledge surrounding key strategic topics.

The initial session will focus on the Social Business Model Canvas geared towards helping you consider the social impact of your business whilst forming your business plan. The themes and topics of future sessions will be shaped by commonalities and outliers that are identified from this initial session and will help you to delve deeper into your business and think strategically. 

Who is it for?

Anyone who is at the early stages of starting or growing a social enterprise or purposeful business and is seeking to benefit from the support, connections and knowledge-sharing that can be gained from a peer group setting.

When

18:00 - 20:00 Wednesday 17th April 2024

18:00 - 20:00 Wednesday 1st May 2024

18:00 - 20:00 Wednesday 15th May 2024

18:00 - 20:00 Wednesday 5th June 2024

4 x 2 hour sessions

Terms & Conditions

We will ask you to complete a short questionnaire upon registration to assess compatibility and suitability. You may receive a phone call as part of the application process. Groups are limited to a maximum of 12 participants and we will also ask for your valued feedback at the end of the programme, so we can continually improve the offering. 

Participants must be prepared to commit to all sessions across 3 months, starting in April 2024. Sessions will be held in person at the BIPC in Oxfordshire County Library at the Westgate Centre.

Please note we can only offer one place per business. If you have a co-founder, please nominate one of you to be part of the programme.

Deadline for applications is Friday 12th April at midday.
About OSEP

OSEP is partnering with BIPC to deliver social impact business support sessions. OSEP CIC is a social enterprise, set up to support social entrepreneurs, Social Enterprises, enterprising charities and purposeful business across Oxfordshire – all trading as a way to address social and environmental challenges.

Facilitator - Grant Hayward

Following a 30 year career in mainstream business, he relocated to Oxfordshire and for the past 10 years has been supporting Social Enterprises, enterprising charities and social entrepreneurs. He has also developed expertise supporting mainstream businesses to become more purposeful and is a B Leader, promoting the B Corp movement and helping business to become certified B Corps.

He is now the day to day contact for general enquiries and supports the operations of OSEP. He also worked on the eScalate programme as the Enterprise Support Manager, providing 1:1 support to programme participants.

Facilitator - Rosie Jacobs

Rosie Jacobs is a dedicated advocate for local enterprise, community building, and digital innovation. As the Co-Founder and Director of Independent Oxford, Rosie has been instrumental in championing independent businesses across Oxfordshire since 2015. With a mission to promote the significance of local enterprise, Rosie spearheads initiatives aimed at fostering connections and amplifying the impact of independent ventures.

Rosie’s business background brings a wealth of practical experience in e-commerce, buying, trend forecasting, and product development.

Rosie has worked for OSEP since 2020 and was part of the team delivering the eScalate business support programme from 2020 to 2023. Through this initiative, Rosie played a pivotal role in providing essential business support to purposeful businesses, social enterprises, and charities throughout Oxfordshire. 

With her dedication to fostering connections, promoting localism, and harnessing the power of digital tools for local business, Rosie Jacobs is helping to shape a more vibrant and sustainable future for Oxfordshire.