Jimmy is making his daughter proud

Jimmy ran his own successful business for most of his working life but a change in personal circumstances meant that he had to give this up to care for his three-year-old daughter and his ex-partner. 

“It was always meant to be a temporary situation but then the pandemic happened, and it suddenly became more and more difficult to get back what I once had,” said Jimmy.

Becoming a single father meant it was hard for Jimmy to find work that suited his daughter’s routine so not long after joining the Restart Scheme, Jimmy caught up with our Self-Employment Adviser, Stephanie Campbell to explore his options.

“Things started to move quite quickly after that initial meeting; we started drafting a business plan, looking into insurance, discussing the areas in which he felt he could do with some support,” said Steph.

Skills such as decorating and joinery meant Jimmy was the perfect ‘handyman’, and working for himself meant he could take on home improvement jobs that suited his daughter’s schedule. 

“Jimmy has grown considerably since that first meeting; it has been a pleasure seeing him get back to doing what he does best,” said Steph. “He has been getting fantastic customer feedback for his DIY work and the ability to earn money while being there for his daughter is all he ever wanted.”

“It has been great to have the support of the Restart Scheme and self-employment advice from Steph,” said Jimmy. 

“This is the best thing I have done in years, and I am so happy with where I am in my life now. I look forward to future business success and I am sure Ruby (my daughter) will be very proud of her dad as she gets older."