Whilst On The Programme:

• We expect all My Business participants to be fully committed to developing their ideas into a viable business and to work with determined purpose and pace.

• At a minimum you must be able to commit 30 hours input each week towards setting up a business. This input may include market research, business planning, talking to suppliers, producing marketing materials, refining your product or service and, perhaps most importantly, talking to potential customers. This input doesn't necessarily have to be 9.00-5.00, Monday-Friday - you would work at times to suit you and around your other family, social and business commitments. To be honest, the chances are you'll end up doing a lot more than 30 hours, particularly when you're up and trading!

• You would also be expected to continue with weekly Jobsearch. You might even find a position that can work around or support your business idea so it's definitely worth keeping an eye on the opportunities!

• When you move onto Test Trading, you are allowed to trade and make money! Any money you do make can be reinvested back into the business to pay for business expenses like phone calls, stock or manufacturing costs, premises, website fees, the cost of promotional materials, etc., etc. HOWEVER, to maintain your benefits, at this stage anyway, you CANNOT take any money out for personal use. The intent is that during Test Trading you fully assess the viability of your business idea whilst building a nest egg of funds to help you go it alone later on. Your My Business Advisor will be able to advise on what you can and cannot spend earnings on.

• To ensure your earnings are only used for business expenses, you will need to set up a joint signatory bank account with your My Business Advisor acting as the joint signatory. This enables them to monitor what you are spending money on and help to protect your benefits (if you did use money for personal expenses, it would count as earnings and therefore MUST be declared to your Jobcentre and may effect your benefits accordingly). The account CANNOT have cash card facilities either and MBR would receive copies of all bank statements. If for whatever reason, you cannot get a bank account, an alternative system would be set up instead.

• All profits remain yours with neither your My Business Advisor or MBR have any claim to any money you make. Once you finish the programme, sign-off at your Jobcentre and start your business for real, any funds left in the bank are then available for you to use without restriction. Your My Business Advisor would cease to act as a joint signatory and MBR will no longer receive copy statements. We'll still be there for you for any advice or support you need - in fact we very much encourage ongoing contact. If you decide against going into business but have funds in the bank, you would close the account and declared the funds as earnings to your Jobcentre (this may effect your benefits accordingly).