In 1982, The Rt.Hon. Bernard Weatherill M.P., the then Member of Parliament for Croydon North East, began discussions with leading members of the Croydon business community and the Croydon Council about the viability of starting an Enterprise Agency for Croydon. A non-profit making company was formed called Croydon Business Venture Limited (“CBV”) with its remit to help individuals start their own business.

CBV is the accredited Enterprise Agency for Croydon, a member of the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies and one of a network of about 150 around the country.

CBV help those wanting to start their own business with both business planning and with the development of basic business skills. Our initial task is to ensure that our clients have a realistic understanding of the way of life, which accompanies self-employment; notably the impact of working 50-60 hours a week can have on personal lives and relationships. We address all the issues through a weekly half-day seminar and a monthly three-day seminar. The latter seminar covers all aspects of running your own business.

In addition to training, we also offer one to one counselling at which the client can explore any area or subject that is of particular interest or concern to them. Running your own business can be a lonely experience and having somebody to talk to can be invaluable.

The courses together with the one to one counselling are provided free of charge and are available for as long as clients require.

A separate but related activity is the provision of office accommodation at Acorn House, East Croydon and Park House in Central Croydon. We provide a full range of services including reception, switchboard, photocopying, fax and security, for a fixed monthly charge, and with no long-term obligation.

Further businesses use Acorn House as their business address.  We receive their post and take telephone calls and either forward them or hold them for collection.  This is useful to people who work from home but who do not want their home address to be known by their customers.

We ensure a sympathetic ear to people from all walks of life, sometimes to advise them that their business idea is not viable, but not to deter them, and to provide encouragement to persevere and look for other business opportunities.

This support provides continuous opportunities and encouragement for Croydon’s future entrepreneurs.