Do you have a pastime that you would like to turn into a business? Don’t know where to start? You can join an online course to help you achieve your goal.

We spoke to Mohamed, a Perivale resident, about how he turned his passion for fitness into a business opportunity.

Mohamed is the founder of MoJeMo Fitness. He signed up to Startup School – a part-time, 6-week programme, funded by Ealing Council. The course provides all the information you need to know about turning business dreams into a reality.

Fitness has no age limit

Encouraged by his brothers, Mohamed began his fitness journey in his 40s by joining a gym, where he discovered the transformative power of exercise. Mohamed’s mission is to help people over 50 get active. He believes that it’s never too late to start exercising.

He said: “I heard about the Startup School course from a friend. I hated school when I was young, but I decided to join the 6-week course in June this year, not knowing what to expect.

“My business was in the very early stages, and I wasn’t entirely sure how to go about it. The course was really good – it was an eye opener and good fun. Some people had a business up and running already but needed more customers, while others only had an idea.”

The course covers a number of topics ranging from where the best ideas come from, how to find your first customer, how to market your business, and where to find funding.

In the last 5 years, the course has helped 174 people explore how to create a business. You can now sign up for the next round of Startup School, which begins on 18 September. 

Support that makes a difference

The course inspired Mohamed to create a website. In a one-to-one session, the course leaders gave him advice on where to advertise his services. One of the suggestions included using the social networking platform NextDoor, where Mohamed had some success.

“They encouraged us to think about what type of people we want to use our services,” he added. “That’s when I decided to focus on people aged 50 plus who have not been physically active for some time.”

Free to people out of work or low-earners, the course includes more than 25 hours of pre-recorded videos, support from like-minded individuals during weekly networking sessions, one-to-one mentoring, and specialist workshops to improve your business skills.

Take part and learn how to:

• identify your ideal customers and where to find them

• understand how to price your product or service

• create a one-page business plan and know the legal requirements of running a business
• feel more confident about the steps you need to take to start or grow your business 

Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, the council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said: “Mohamed’s inspirational story shows that it’s never too late to turn your passion for something into a career. This programme is a fantastic opportunity for anyone to help turn their business idea into a reality. If you have an idea in mind or an already existing business which you want to develop, sign up for the course.”

How to enrol

If you’d like to start your own business journey, sign up to the course.