News and Blog Articles

In a recent conversation with Gary Packham, we explored the journey of Anglia Ruskin Enterprise Academy (AREA) as they reapprove as an IOEE Centre of Excellence in 2023. The AREA, a specialist branch of Anglia Ruskin University, has been a trailblazer in entrepreneurial education. The IOEE accreditation recognises the values and mission of AREA to […]

The IOEE is proud to recognise many academies across the world, who actively advocate for enterprise education and embrace the ever changing landscape of entrepreneurship. We are pleased to welcome Purple Shoots Business Loans to the IOEE Academy network, and to provide recognition to their Community Recharge Programme. We spoke with Chris Jackson, Director of […]

Someone once said, age is nothing but a number. But at the IOEE, we know that is not the case. Age is a hallmark, indicating a certain level of experience, knowledge and wisdom. Who better to become an entrepreneur, than someone with life experience and years of knowledge? At the IOEE, we support entrepreneurs, old […]

SME Centre of Excellence is an enterprise agency and training provider based in the North East of England. Their company vision is to provide a one-stop service in order to help SMEs to start, survive and thrive. As well as becoming an IOEE academy, educational organisations also have the opportunity to become an IOEE Centre […]

In 2023, a year that screamed innovation and adaptability, IOEE rolled out something quite extraordinary—a new programme called Enterprise Spark, in a pilot run with Charterhouse School. This isn’t just any programme; it’s a game-changer in teaching entrepreneurship, business, and tech.  The spark for Enterprise Spark (see what we did there?) came from digging into […]

2024 has already been a busy year for the IOEE when it comes to academy applications, qualification approvals, and welcoming new members. One centre that has recently reapproved as an IOEE academy is Flourish Unlimited. We spoke with Lucy at Flourish about the reapproval process and the decision to reapprove.  “Flourish Unlimited is an IOEE […]

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly. The IOEE decided that signing the Armed Forces Covenant was the right thing to do, to pledge our support for fairer treatment of those who served in the […]

In today’s hyper-connected world, the role of community, in fostering successful enterprise, has become increasingly important. Building a thriving business is no longer solely about profit margins and shareholder value; it is about creating a positive impact on society, engaging with local communities, adding value for your customers and providing sustainable employment opportunities. This article […]

Active listening is an important skill to have in any profession, especially if it revolves around working in a team. But what is active listening, and why is it so important?  Active listening is the ability to listen to a speaker, understand what it is they are saying and to reflect, then respond to what […]

We always love checking in with our centres, and we recently had the opportunity to talk to Richard at Rocketeer Enterprise. Rocketeer Enterprise trains a variety of learners, including learners within prisons. They became an IOEE Academy in 2017 and had their own programme recognised to provide added value for their learners, who were completing […]

In the past decade, small businesses have been at the forefront of the remote work revolution. With technology making it easy to work from anywhere, there’s been a significant shift in how small businesses operate and employees work. In this light-hearted yet informative article, let’s explore the rise of remote work and its impact on […]

Interview with Andrew Berrie, MIND As employees, and employers, constantly adapt and shift to fit business needs and economic markets, it is quite easy to forget about our mental health and the importance of maintaining it. We thought that spring would be a great time to chat with Andrew Berrie, head of Workplace Wellbeing at […]

In the business and enterprise industry, business support is invaluable. Whether setting up a new business or learning the foundation skills required to plan a new business venture, many startups turn to business support to assist with launching some crucial conversations. This need for business support is equally present in the educational sector, as Universities […]

Happy World Theatre day to you all! I know, you may be thinking, theatre… enterprise… how do the two link and has someone posted this to the wrong site? We know it may seem odd to link enterprise with theatre, but when you think about it, it just makes sense. Theatre is a huge industry […]

International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world on March 8th. This day serves as a reminder of the progress made in the fight for gender equality and women’s rights. It is a day to celebrate the achievements of women and to raise awareness of the challenges women continue to face. The origins of International […]

For this article we spoke with Phil Teasdale, Chief Executive at IOEE Academy, Enterprise Made Simple and heard more about their exciting work and plans for the future. Phil started off by telling us about Enterprise Made Simple (EMS) and their mission. As a fifteen-year-old business, focusing on business support and training, Enterprise Made Simple […]

Mentoring isn’t just for entrepreneurs or business owners. It’s also a vital aspect of any small business in terms of employees, as it helps to ensure that they are well-trained, motivated, and productive. A mentoring program can help to create a positive and supportive work environment, where employees feel valued and respected. One of the […]

It’s that time of the year again, where we express our love and appreciation for the special people in our lives. And for us entrepreneurs, that special someone is none other than our own business! Yes, you heard it right, we’re in love with being an entrepreneur, and we’re here to spill the beans on […]

Social enterprise, Entrepreneurs Unlocked, provides veterans of the armed forces with a route into self-employment, in gardening, with the launch of the Defender to Entrepreneur programme. David Morgan, the founder of Entrepreneurs Unlocked, launched the Defender to Entrepreneur programme in conjunction with Sally Coulthard, founder and CEO of the Defence Garden Scheme (DGS). DGS is […]

Over the decades, a recurring debate in the business world has been related to the specialist vs generalist dilemma – with the first often winning over the second – to establish whether a successful professional should focus on a specialism or aim at developing a wider range of competencies. This certainly does not apply to […]

Stress is a natural phenomenon. We all experience it, some more than others, in many different ways. For some, stress can be running around from one task to another, for others stress can look like constant fatigue. Whatever stress looks like to you, it can be extremely daunting if you don’t know how to control […]

For this article, we checked in with Carl Beardon, a mentor who works for Barclays Bank, and Natasha Crompton, a small business owner and mentee, who set up IntrinsicTherapies. Carl and Natasha were paired up by Paul Harper, IOEE’s mentoring matchmaker, before lockdown and the pair have had meetings ever since. It is brilliant to […]

In an earlier article, we spoke about businesses that started up in Lockdown. One of our members came forward and said they would be happy to talk to us about their business born in lockdown. Kiera runs a home fragrance business called Happy Paws Candle Co. Happy Paws Candle Co is a candle business that […]

Over the last six to nine months, there have been a range of articles within academic journals, business publications and newspapers focused on predicting and unpacking the issues which will shape the extent and nature of remote working in the near to mid-term.  Key themes have included:  • The shifting nature of employee expectations and […]