Case Study : Emma Cooper

Be Enterprising is committed to helping people in the unemployment hotspots of County Durham to realise their potential as entrepreneurs and was created to inspire enterprise and bring about positive and measurable changes. 

The 23-year-old studied at the University of Lincoln for four years to acquire the skills she needed to work in the specialist field.

She said: “When I was at university, I studied the conservation of historic objects. Now that I am fully qualified I can conserve and restore a wide variety of objects, but am choosing to specialise in ceramics with the hope of branching out into gilded frames in the future.” 

“I also do a lot of preventative work – this involves a lot of surveys and monitoring different aspects of the environment such as insect pest, light and heat levels, with the intention being that any causes of deterioration can be highlighted and therefore prevented from progressing, reducing the need for complex and expensive restoration in the future.”
 
Emma is currently developing a workshop so that she can work from home.

She said: “I hadn’t even thought about running my own business until I went to Be Enterprising.

“I had been unemployed since March and I was finding it really difficult to get a job. It was frustrating that I had trained for so long, and I couldn’t get my foot in the door.

“It was the job centre that pointed me towards Be Enterprising, and I haven’t looked back since.”

Michael Smith, Emma’s Be Enterprising coach, said: “There are many reasons why people start their own business, whether they have a great idea, want to be their own boss or to combat redundancy. A lot of entrepreneurs find the challenges of running a business much more rewarding.

“Emma had been unemployed for several months and felt discouraged and frustrated by not being able to find employment. Now she has clients like the National Trust and Bowes Museum.”

Emma received funding that helped cover start-up costs and allowed her to purchase materials and equipment to help her get started, she also received support and advice when developing a business plan.

Elliott Patterson, programme manager at Be Enterprising, said: “In challenging economic times it’s more important than ever for orgainisations to work together to try and combat redundancy.
“Thriving successful businesses are at the heart of prosperous communities and it is important to support the next generation of entrepreneurs as economic recovery depends on jobs, and we need to make sure that the right information and opportunities are made available to people within the region.”
For more information please contact emma@cooperconservation.co.uk