Peter Bennie
Director of Operations, PRIME, Opportunity & Enterprise
Hi, I'm Peter, PRIME’s Director of Operations.
I’m 50 myself this year, and during the five years I’ve been with PRIME, I’ve witnessed the incredible difficulties people can face trying to get back into work when they are past the age many employers unthinkingly look for.
I’ve also seen the frustrations of people who want to satisfy a life-long ambition to work for themselves - but who don’t know where to start, or lack the confidence to make the break from their employer even if they can see no long-term future with them.
Did you know that statistically, if you set up a business when you’re over 50, you have a four times greater chance of it surviving beyond five years than someone in their twenties? That’s down to the life experience, maturity and stronger inclination to research and plan that older people typically bring to new projects.
Our population is getting older, and with it comes a need for greater numbers of older people to remain in the workforce. For around one in five people over 50, self-employment is already how they are achieving that.
There’s a lot of help around to get you started and find your way through the regulations, tax matters and all the technical challenges of marketing plans, cashflows, and the like. PRIME is here to help you on that journey, and to also show you where other good free and low-cost support can be found, because it’s not always very apparent.
I love the job that I do, because it helps people achieve things they often wouldn’t believe possible. And the greatest satisfaction? That comes from making it possible for someone to rise from the depths of despair to doing something that gives their life meaning and purpose again.
