I am the Founder/CEO of a Business Finance Solutions and Service Provider Platform in the UK which is going International for 2016 with over 25000 members.

We work with organisations to sustain and grow their business Finance Solutions and B2B Service Provider support.   Having worked in many Sectors from the Travel Industry Internationally to the Public and Private Sector to working with some of the Top FTSE Companies in the UK.   We have recently due to demand and our SUCCESS created our own Team of Finance Finders to source the right kind of finance for the stage and culture of your business to make it Pitch Perfect and present this to Funders from Crowd Funding Platforms to Venture Capitalists and other forms of Finance from Loans Debt and to Invoice Financing to Factoring and bridging loans etc.  In 2015 we have brokered Success agreements for finance from £1/2m to £5.6m from Debt Finance to Crowd Funding to Private Equity. Complimented with our new FUNDMYBUSINESS Cloud tool which is part of our Premier Membership and can secure your Investment/Finance for 2016.

I have mentored over 2000 businesses  from Start up to Growth  in the last 10  years’ and myself have grown my own companies  and  took my first one from  0 – to a £10m turnover  within 5 years.  I have through my Mentoring skills supported many sustainable growth SME’s and many have won National and International Awards.  Recently we were Runner up Google Innovat8 Digital Award UK 2015 and a Finalist for the Forward Ladies Best Start up Business for Women 2015.

We also in 2016 launched our   branding which is a Digital marketing support service for our members and partners to generate quality leads using our c2d CRM tools using email marketing innovative new tools which combine Social Media posts.

I sit as a Judge on the Midas Touch Panel in and Fusion and MMU Manchester for Entrepreneurs/Dragons’ Den and am a VC Business Angel and advise other VCs on suitable businesses to invest in.

We support many Business Events in the UK and International as a Key Note Speaker on Alternative Finance and for 2016 we have the contract for THE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF BUSINESS 29/30 June 2016 Liverpool for Pitching for Finance and have secured £2m in investment for these Events. We are open for Pitches www.gateway2enterprise.co.uk as a member.

Karen Melonie Gould is a ‘gateway’ of contacts across the Globe.

  at www.gateway2enterprise.co.uk

ACHIEVEMENTS

2008 – UCLAN – Northern Lights Programme – Business Support – Outstanding Ofsted Report and UK Runner Up SFEDI Award

2009 – Manchester City Council – UK Commissioning Award

2011 – Warrington Business Ventures Business Women for February

2011 – Runner Up – Cheshire Woman of the Year

2011 – Nominate by Lord Wei – Big Society Award

2012 – UK Ambassador for Women Enterprise

MOTIVATIONAL GUEST SPEAKER

Karen is a Motivational Guest Speaker at various Events from the O2 Event in Liverpool 2010 Welfare to Work to 2012 Business NW Event Manchester and Chester SME Event 2012 etc.
Testimonials from past clients

This Mentoring/Training Programme enabled me to show how to develop my own business in the UK starting with research, marketing, retraining and finally to grow/develop my business.
David Keeley MD – www.fidelis.fse.co.uk

My return to the top of the ladder in the Corporate International world has given me both the confidence and drive to do what I do best negotiating international sales and service contracts over all the world whilst still maintaining a successful business here in the UK.

All my aims and objectives to what I wanted to achieve was supported by Mentoring and Karen has enabled me to be the success I am and has even opened the door to me having a business which I thought I never would do.

David McNeilage – Mentee

I joined the Chester Professional Programme and Business Start Up in Oct 2011 after being on Karen’s Conservative Party Work/Enterprise Club in Warrington where Karen and myself worked for David Mowat MP. I then realised with their support I could start my business. It quickly became apparent that indeed I had two business models which Karen has supported me to develop Though I am presently working in France, I will return to the UK in the Spring of 201 to launch them both with Karen’s mentoring support which is invaluable!

Carol Lloyd RS Mentee

“I found Karen invaluable in getting me started. Being taken through a marketing campaign demonstrated how easy it is to get your message out to your contacts.”

Joanne Lyons MD – www.mainstayprocurement.com

I heard through my Social Media network how the WorkBiz Academy had helped others really get their businesses off the ground. On referral, and despite the distance, I travelled up from to attend the 2 programmes in Chester in October 2011. I found the business start up programme with Mentoring support, was so worth it as I have now a very successful national Social Enterprise business, Mainstay Procurement.

Karen takes a personal interest in her programme attendees. She even supported me with great contacts in as; having had a career there for 20 years still maintains a healthy networking and professional presence in the capital.

The programmes have given me the skills to develop my business and the Mentoring support on a 1to1 basis with Karen and her team of mentors gave me the encouragement to start my business based out of . I am concentrating on growing my business in a sustainable manner with the invaluable support of WorkBiz Academy.

Jane Mawer MD www.kit2craft.com

I joined Karen’s Workbiz/Business Start Up Programme and Professional Programme in Chester in June 2011, following redundancy from a Local Authority. I am Single Mum having to also keep focussed and support 2 teenage boys. The Professional/Executive Back to Work Programme gave me the confidence to start on the Business Start Up programme and pursue my dream of having my own business whilst looking after a family.

The Programmes/Workshops and the intensive on-going Mentoring from various Mentors of my choice, including Karen was a major factor in my business becoming sustainable. Even, when the Programme ended Karen still continued to Mentor me as she does today and has become a friend.
Brian Daintith – Finance Director – Social Housing

I joined Karen on her WorkBiz Club in Sep 2011 in Warrington and then was invited to join her on her Professional Programme for Executives in Chester in Oct 0211. At that time, I was intending on returning quickly to my profession of Finance Director, and was looking for an appropriate opportunity in a blue chip company. At that time, Karen also had another Programme running Business Start Up Workshops and even though I did not have the intention of having my own business thought it as an option to explore as when you are unemployed you need all the options that are offered to you. WorkBiz Academy gave me all those options to explore and I finally started my new job in Jan 2012 as a Director of a large service provider to the social housing sector.

Through Karen’s Programmes, I also opted for additional support of Mentoring and Karen and her Team of Mentors supported me on a weekly basis on a 1to1 basis to enable me to put into practice what I had learned on the Work Shops to find employment and start a business. The Programmes and the Mentoring inspired and motivated me to secure my future again and their passion and skills enabled me to secure this great new position that I have and it is local!

Kal Malik – International Guest Speaker, Author – US Base – www.kal-malik.com

I have enjoyed being on and working with Karen’s mentoring Programme for over two years. Karen’s brand of mentoring helped me on all levels. She and her team have skills in many areas of business and personal development.Whether it is finance, interviews or confidence, Karen has the answers.

It helped me to take my career opportunities to the next level. In return I was able To help Karen and her mentees on a few occasions. Karen and her group of mentors Have played a great part in me launching my career in personal and professional Development.

Head Hunted for an American Company based in the South of England for a Senior IT Role and now living and working in New York, USA as a Guest Speaker, Author and Facilitator of Work Shops.

AUTHOR – BOOKS TODATE

Karen is also a Author of self-help books and her first book was ‘Get Britain Working’ a book published in 2009 supporting Job Search based on the Conservative Programme and endorsed by Theresa May MP and her ‘Supporting Dreams’ book in 2011 was a book written based on her own personal experiences of starting a business and that of her clients. Karen is presently working on her next book for 2012,” Mentoring to achieve Professional/Personal Effectiveness