Jordon took part in our Match Trading pilot, as part of the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Trade Up Programme 2015-16.

What is The Arts Excite?

“The Arts Excite was an idea I [originally] developed and incubated during my time on the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Start Up programme in 2012-13. I then built the project into a community interest company.

“The Arts Excite helps young disadvantaged people fulfil their potential by giving them the confidence, training and experience needed to gain a career in the creative industries. We do this by delivering various creative arts and media workshops, courses, work experience opportunities and social action arts projects. These activities build and develop skills, which hone and harness the creative talents of the beneficiaries we support and are free at the point of delivery. Our work also develops employability, team building, leadership, planning and problem solving skills in young people.

“Many of our beneficiaries have been long term unemployed, ex-offenders or even homeless. We give them access to the best artist tutors, who support them through their projects. These are opportunities they have not had access to since leaving school and this experience gives them something positive to add to and strengthen their CV’s.”

How did you find Match Trading?

“I took part in the pilot year for the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Trade Up Programme in 2015-16. In the programme, you are being developed to explore ways of generating income outside of grants.

“The Match Trading grant is different from traditional grant, because for every pound you generate as traded or sales income, you earn another pound as grant.

“I found that motivating, supportive and challenging. I mean ‘challenging’ in a good way, because you have to put a bit of grit into what you’re doing!

“I operate better when I’m held accountable for things. With this programme and the Match Trading grant, I knew I had a deadline. As an entrepreneur, I knew I needed to earn the income by end of programme to access the Match Trading grant on offer. That opened my eyes to spotting new opportunities, to generating income around areas I wouldn’t have looked at otherwise. And that reconfirmed that what we do is worth paying for, and gave me further evidence there’s a demand for it.

“Also, having to do quarterly financial reports [to access the Match Trading grant] helped to keep me on track.”