Lloyd spent three and a half years in prison. Prior to being inside he describes his life as “spending all my time and effort getting drugs”. Addicted to crack and heroin he had lost contact with his partner and their young daughter. Being inside was difficult; “You can get suicidal in prison, it’s not the best place to be”. But Lloyd knew that he was capable of making more of life. In prison he managed to work through his drug addiction and went on to take advantage of the further education courses on offer. Free from his addiction, he re-established contact with his partner and seven year old daughter.

Lloyd regained a sense of his own worth and dared to dream again of things he could do with his life. In the prison library he noticed a leaflet which caught his eye – it was a Startup leaflet offering support. He wrote and received a letter inviting him to attend an Entrepreneur Day at HMP Brixton.

At the Entrepreneur Day Lloyd presented his plans for a new company – Bluespot Network. “I wanted to be honest and truthful. I told them that I needed to do a big learning curve…  It was a release to be able to present my ideas and be honest about where I had come from, my family history, how long I have been clean.”

Lloyd’s ideas impressed the panel of business judges. They agreed to support him in developing the concept further. It gave Lloyd the break he was looking for to take things forward “I was over the moon”.

Startup provided a personal mentor to Lloyd who met with him several times and helped develop a full business plan – “he made me focus on what I wanted to do”. There have been challenges; the difficulties of trying to open a bank account with a criminal record were “such a nightmare that it nearly made me throw it all in”. But Startup has continued to support Lloyd when he needs it – “They are very hands-on in their support for you”.

Lloyd’s business is now thriving and he feels a sense of pride in what he has achieved. We are proud that he has been involved in the development of the Startup website and in the future he hopes that he can provide support for others – “I’d love to be a mentor at the end of the day”.