Lee Moogan
Lee, 32, from Knowsley, had no plans in life
and was stuck in a rut, lacking any qualifications and drifting
from job to job before receiving support from The Prince’s Trust.
Lee now has a successful tree surgery business.
Previously life for Lee was up and down, his
parents divorced when he was ten and as a long term result of that,
he no longer speaks to his mum. At 15 Lee left school without any
qualifications and ended up getting two jobs instead. Aged 19 he
moved out from his dad’s and travelled to Spain to do labouring
work.
After moving back to the UK Lee found work to
come by and needed the right help to start a business but didn’t
know how.
He found out about The Trust and was inspired
by the opportunities it presented. He had become interested in tree
surgery, despite not having any previous experience, but didn’t
think he’d ever be able to fulfil his dreams. However, he then
joined The Trust’s Enterprise Programme, which gives unemployed
young people the skills and confidence to find work or start their
own business. The Trust worked with Lee on developing a business
plan for a tree surgery business. He then linked up with a Prince’s
Trust business mentor who provided ongoing support to help develop
his business idea further.
His business, Rapid Tree Care, began trading
in the Merseyside area in January 2011 with the help of a £2,100
loan from The Trust. The loan helped pay for tools, equipment,
insurance and advertising. Lee now offers a range of tree surgery
services for the domestic market and is planning to expand into the
commercial sector soon.
The one to one support he received from his
Prince’s Trust business mentor has really helped build Lee's
confidence. He believes the skills he has learnt, from book keeping
to presenting himself to clients, is helping him in every aspect of
running his business. He has also learnt to face business
challenges head-on, and the skills he has picked up through his
business have also helped him in his personal life.
Lee lacked direction before he came to The
Trust, but now he has set new goals and has a clear idea of how to
succeed. He admits that he'd still be in trouble without The
Trust's help.
He said:
If I hadn't got involved with The Prince's
Trust I’d still be unemployed and lacking any real hope for the
future. My home life is now settled and I want to become as
knowledgeable and as qualified as possible to take my business
forward.
Champions
We would like to acknowledge the individuals or organisations
who have played a key role in helping this young person achieve
success through their Prince’s Trust programme:
- Keith Hanlon, Prince’s Trust Business Mentor
- Nathan Sayer, Prince’s Trust
- Februrary Foundation