• Legal structures for social enterprises such as Community Interest Companies (C.I.Cs) and Co-operatives
• Social Enterprise and Co-operative business advice & guidance, planning & financial forecasting
• Funding available for Social Enterprises and Co-ops, and how to apply

Key Areas of Expertise
Start-up, self employed, entrepreneur, business planning, market research, cash flow forecast, sale planning, new business, raising finance, Social enterprise, CIC, coop, community business.

Background
Wondering what a co-operative or a social enterprise are and whether this would be a good model for your business / organisation? Meet Kevin Marquis, the social enterprise adviser from BIC.

Kevin has over 30 years’ experience of working within the North East’s most deprived communities and helping the most disadvantaged within them to use ‘enterprise’ and ‘self employment’ as a means to create their own job opportunities and improve their life chances. An essential element of his work is his specialist knowledge and practical experience of co-operative and social enterprise development.

Kevin has assisted in the launch of 100’s of traditional businesses and has helped with the registration of over 200 Community Interest Companies and Co-operatives. In the North East he has helped build a social enterprise sector comprising 215 social enterprises with a combined turnover of £35million and employing over 2000 people.

Kevin now only works to promote, develop and support Co-operatives and Social Enterprise across the North East.