On Wednesday 04 June, the Business Builder programme – built and developed as a collaborative initiative between UCL School of Management and Fashion Business School, London College of Fashion – delivered its final session to this year’s cohort at UCL East in Stratford.

Designed to support entrepreneurs and small businesses based in East London through expert teaching, the programme provides attendees with the knowledge, skills and tools to scale and grow their business.

Offered free to all successful applicants, the second iteration of the programme saw the highest number of participants yet, with 27 entrepreneurs and business professionals from a range of industries meeting for weekly in-person sessions at UCL’s Canary Wharf or UCL East campuses or at the London College of Fashion campus in Stratford.

From life drawing and sustainable fashion to design agencies and energy consultancies, this year’s cohort have truly demonstrated the variety of small businesses currently operating across the East London region. During the 6-week programme, participants covered a number of crucial topics, including financial metrics, the development of effective marketing strategies, exploring organisational purpose and values, and outlining organisational capacity.

Hashim Bajwa, a participant of this year’s cohort and founder of educational consultancy Bespoke Professionals Limited, told us: “the focus on the entrepreneurial mindset resonated with me. It encouraged me to reflect on my strengths and areas for growth as a business owner.” Hashim also enjoyed the depth in which the programme explored financial models and metrics, including the breakdowns of profit and loss, cash flow and balance sheets.

Discussing this year’s cohort, UCL School of Management Professor and Deputy Director for Student Experience Susan Smith said, “This year’s Business Builder cohort was absolutely fantastic. Participants engaged with the programme and brought their diverse experiences to the programme which helped to contextualise the learning.”

UCL School of Management’s Mauricio Pettinato, who also teaches on the programme, echoed Susan’s sentiments: “This year’s cohort came from a wide range of backgrounds and sectors, but all shared the same drive to grown their business and create local impact. The energy in every session was incredible. I’m glad to have supported such an engaged and passionate group.”

Find out more about the Business Builder programme or read Fabian’s story to find out how the programme can support entrepreneurs and small businesses.