BEN Oliver knows what it’s like to be out of work. The 30-year-old from Clacton has turned his hand to various roles, but found himself out of work for ten months.

He says: “I applied for three or four jobs each week and even if I had interviews, I wouldn’t hear back from some of the companies.

“It was so hard to find something that I finally decided I should do something myself.”

The idea to start his own business came when his dad, a landscape gardener, needed a bit of help promoting his business.

Ben began designing a website for him and, with the help of the jobcentre, was put in touch with Ixion Holdings, an organisation which was founded in 2001 to provide business support services in Essex

The former Clacton High School pupil explains: “I thought if I can set up a website for my dad, maybe I could do the same for small businesses in Clacton.”

Ben now promotes small businesses across Tendring through his own website, csblink.co.uk, in a bid to boost the local economy and get local people buying in local services and products.

He says: “It’s been a long time since I was motivated by anything. It was awful being knocked back when I was applying for jobs, but now I am doing something really useful and getting good feedback from it.”

Ben was supported by Ixion Holdings, which offers a limited number of people a New Enterprise Allowance.

It is run by the Department of Work and Pensions and people on job seekers allowance have to be referred to them from the jobcentre.

Iain Lockhart, head of services for enterprise at Ixion says: “It’s for people who have the right attitude, right direction to create a job, which sometimes means their own business.

People get guidance and advice on formulating a business plan, looking at cash flow, who their competitors are, analysing the risk.”

So far, the programme has helped 4,000 people start businesses in the East of England since September 2011.

About 1,000 in the Essex area have gone into trading, of which 90 per cent were still trading after six months.

After 12 months 76 per cent were still in business.

The programme run by Ixion lasts for eight weeks.

Iain says: “By the end of that time they should be equipped with the tools to make a decision about what they want to do,”

“Some people turn their hobbies into businesses, others look at their strengths and interests. We are not looking for the next Richard Branson.

“It’s the small businesses that help keep the UK economy turning.”