Megan tells us how mentoring and the right support has helped her during this difficult time.

“It’s been tough because I had just decided to scale up the business, and get to the point where I can run two or three pop-up shops at the same time – I really felt this was my time to shine. Curated Makers started our last made local pop up at the Trafford Centre’s John Lewis, starting on the 24th of February, and we watched everything deteriorate first-hand. 

“Now I have high expenses to pay and have overheads I’ve never had to pay before because of scaling up, and it’s just really disheartening because I’ve worked so hard to get to this point.”

The mentoring element of The Prince’s Trust’s programme has really helped Megan both before and during the Coronavirus outbreak.

My mentor Dave has been fabulous – I can’t rate him enough. We speak a lot on the phone anyway, but right now especially, I know I can call him anytime and speak to him. I’m juggling lots of other business hurdles like taxes and accountancy, so he’s giving me business advice and support.

“He has given me the confidence, belief and encouragement to take my business to the next level. With his invaluable experience to share, willingness to advise, and the strategic support he has offered, I’ve been able to move forward to places I only dreamt of when we first met. Although I feel that it’s a difficult time, I still feel positive about the future, especially with potential support becoming available, like the new Prince’s Trust and NatWest Enterprise Relief Fund.”