A man who lost his job in the property and IT industry has started his own company after getting advice from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
Mark Smith, 43, of Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, set up a web design and property management firm when he found himself out of work in June last year.
He got in touch with the LSC's nextstep service through the local Jobcentre Plus, which gave him some tips on becoming self-employed.
Mr Smith, who is a qualified chartered building surveyor, said that the help he got from nextstep was "brilliant".
He was also introduced to Business Link through the service, which assisted him with getting his company - PWD Services (East Anglia) - off the ground.
"They have given me lots of one-to-one help with my business plan as well as running really informative - and free - seminars. They really know what they are talking about," he stated.
In his new job Mr Smith provides internet-related services to property companies, such as designing websites and producing ecommerce, calendar and account management tools.
He noted that although starting your own business is "really hard graft", he is very pleased that he is able to be his own boss.
Another person who has successfully started a new career is Anna Harris, who set up wine import company The Grape Unknown after taking voluntary redundancy from her job as a journalist.
She told the Journal that many people do not realise they have the skills to be successful in another line of work.
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