Tell us a bit about you and your business.
My name is Yomi and I’m an experienced Project Manager with over 10 years of experience working in the tech, creative and voluntary sectors.
In 2019, my wife and I founded a social enterprise called beBrave Network which exists to nurture the leaders of tomorrow. Our aim is to get young people ready for the world of work. We do this through our online Slack community where we share resources and opportunities daily. We also assist with professional development by holding career workshops and exam support sessions. Other ways we support our community include practical advice on how they can upskill and harness their networks.
2020 has been a strange year for everyone. Do you mind sharing your experiences?
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, young people are looking for more opportunities than ever. This has led to a 300% growth for us over the past year. Young people increasingly need support and we hope to equip them with the necessary skills and confidence to become leaders of the future.
Aside from your amazing growth, what has your biggest business achievement been so far?
At the end of last year, we were able to hire two interns who have transitioned into part time members of the beBrave team. As some of our aims are to remove barriers to employment and to equip those from underserved backgrounds with the relevant skills and experience to thrive, we were super excited to bring these young women on board.
The contribution of our new team members has been invaluable. They have helped keep our community engaged and have also improved our social profile. Furthermore, part of this success is down to Rocket Lawyer.
That’s great to hear! How was Rocket Lawyer able to help you?
Rocket Lawyer has been really helpful with our recruitment process. We were able to make use of various employment documents such as Volunteering agreements, Working from home policies, Risk assessments, Health and safety policies. I found it very useful that I could enter my details and the document would automatically populate the necessary information. This was an important factor, as I had come across a few platforms where I had to download the templates manually and then customise them which would have been extremely time consuming.
The free trial and the ability to go through the document before I purchased was the deciding factor. When starting out and wanting to ensure you make the best use of finances, it’s great to discover a platform you can trial to determine whether the documents are relevant to your needs. I believe Rocket Lawyer really does help lower access barriers.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since you’ve started your own business?
During the pandemic, I’ve learnt that young people are very resilient. We do our work at beBrave because we see a gap between home and education life. For example, at school, you’ll learn academic skills and how to pass exams and at home, you learn about collaboration, support and developing your values. However, there’s nothing to upskill or teach young people about the life in between, for example, digital skills, financial education, having the right mindset.
Despite this, I’ve found that young people are very resilient. They refuse to get lost or fall through the cracks and want to develop themselves professionally and personally. Some of the most intellectual conversations I’ve had are with young people.
You’re doing such a great job at helping bridge the gap. How can our readers, who may know young people or are young people themselves, get involved?
If you are a young person, I recommend you joining our online community. If you know a young person who would benefit from our services then please encourage them to check out our website. If you are passionate about supporting our work then please get in touch, we’re always looking for people and organisations to collaborate with.
What are your plans for the future?
I really want to increase our impact and reach more young people. We’re based in North London but we’re helping people all across the UK, which has opened our eyes to the different hotspots that need our support. We work closely with a few universities to mentor and support students and are currently looking for organisations who can offer placements, and work experience opportunities.
