The Post: Senior Business Advisor, Work West
The Post Holder: Stephen McGarry
As a social enterprise advisor Stephen McGarry helps the next generation of leaders to develop their skills.
HOW I BECAME A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE ADVISOR
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
My first job was working in my uncle’s corner shop in Belfast when I was just 15. My cousin and I ran the shop every Saturday morning – it was fun but mayhem. At lunchtime my auntie and granny took over and I’d head into town to spend my wages! It was a great introduction to running a small business and gave me a flavour for the commitment, determination and skills needed to succeed.
I’ve always worked and had a part-time job in the Dublin Road cinema during university but my first real job was working in an enterprise centre in Newtownabbey. I joined Work West in 2002 and have supported hundreds of social enterprises and new start businesses over the years. Work West itself is a social enterprise and we work with new start and existing business – both private and social enterprise. I left Work West for three years to run the social enterprise Gauge and came back in 2016 because I really enjoy our work not only with social enterprises but the new and exciting projects in social innovation and supporting young people in enterprise.
What was your favourite subject at school?
PE. I only stayed on for A levels because we got to play football!
Did you go on to further/higher education, if so what did you study and where?
I studied Economics and Government at University of Ulster, Jordanstown. I had some fantastic tutors and lecturers and one module on economics and small businesses really hit home for me.
How did you get into your area of work?
When I graduated, I went into the Parity Graduate Management Programme and got a placement at Townsend Enterprise Centre where I had a great mentor in George Briggs. I shadowed him everywhere and learned so much about the enterprise sector and with that I was able to get my first job as an enterprise advisor.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
As a child, I wanted to be a footballer or a stuntman. I still want to be those things! But in the real world, I really love what I do because I’m proud that we are able to offer such a broad range of services that help stimulate enterprise. Work West offer a
unique range of services, that appeals to me. We have Northern Ireland’s only Social Economy Village as well as leasing units for private sector businesses; we run youth enterprise programmes and innovative design thinking projects; we offer business start programmes; and we have a long and well-established role leading the drive to support social enterprise. Social enterprise has the
potential to really change things for people and communities. For me, it’s a great honour to work with these amazing enterprises that are shaking things up.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
A degree is usually essential or three to five years of experience. You need an excellent understanding of businesses and what makes them tick. As a team, we are able to offer in-depth advice on all business issues from legalities to marketing to finance to funding applications.
Are there alternative routes into the job?
The local FE Colleges have many great courses and also within our sector we need peer mentors – people with experience managing and running a business or working within specialist areas.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
You need empathy – to understand what the business is going through and creativity – to look at problems or challenges facing the business and finding a way through them. I’m 100% dedicated to our clients and my focus is always on helping them grow and thrive.
What does a typical day entail?
We have an extremely busy office. We are running three major social enterprise programmes for Belfast City, Ards and North Down and Lisburn and Castlereagh councils. In addition we deliver social innovation skills training for the Building Change Trust using
a design thinking model and also have programmes for youth enterprise. My day is divided up between one-to-one mentoring, running workshops and training sessions, writing business plans and researching information for clients and doing Work West’s social media to make sure the message of all the great work we are doing gets out there.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
I love the one-to-one engagement and being able to help people. The entrepreneurs we are working with are trying to find innovative solutions to social problems and to me that’s truly exciting.
There are many challenges facing local businesses and social enterprises, from the uncertainty over Brexit to accessing suitable finance to start and grow.
Why is what you do important?
Northern Ireland is built on small businesses and we are working with the next generation of private and social enterprise leaders. It’s critical that we help people develop their skills and grow their businesses. Social enterprises often operate in very challenging circumstances, in sectors where the return may not be as high, but where there is a chance to make a big difference.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
Find a good mentor to guide you and develop a network for support. In our design thinking programme we talk about building a multi-disciplinary team and that simply means getting great people around you with all the skills to help the business succeed.
If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?
I’m still wishing I was a professional football player! But if that doesn’t pan out, I’d enjoy running my own business.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?
Ask loads of questions and don’t feel that you have to know everything.
Describe your ideal day off.
I’d go out to breakfast with the family and then catch a movie with them before heading out to play five a side football and then relax over a glass of wine with my wife.
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
Use your skills, knowledge and experience to find the right job for you. Starting your own business is an option – if there’s something you love to do it might be possible to turn that ‘hobby’ into a job.