A FORMER Warrington Wolves player who built a multi-million-pound business after receiving a loan from The Prince’s Trust is now an official mentor for the youth charity.
Jamie Boyd borrowed £3,000 from The Prince’s Trust to start a same-day courier business after a devastating injury ended his professional rugby career in 2005.
Almost two decades later, Today Team now operates nationwide out of Taylor Business Park in Risley – and is on track to turn over £3m this financial year.
“The Prince’s Trust offered me a lifeline after the lowest moment in my career,” said Jamie, 43, who grew up in Great Sankey and attended St. Gregory’s Catholic High School. “I was 24 years old with a busted knee and no money in the bank. I used the loan to lease a van and put in 60-hour weeks to build a business that now has top-tier clients all over the UK.
‘I am delighted to have now deepened my commitment to The Prince’s Trust by becoming an official mentor. Being able to give back to the charity and help young people, who are setting up their first enterprise, is a great ‘full circle’ moment.”
At The Prince’s Trust, mentoring is defined as the provision of personal support, assistance, encouragement and inspiration to young people during and following the charity’s programmes – usually at a time of transition and over a sustained period.
The charity has designed a Personal Development Plan to allow the mentee and mentor to set goals and measure progress during their regular check-ins.
“I started my playing career with Crosfields ARLFC – and Rugby League taught me an awful lot,” said Jamie, who now sponsors the team. “Coming from a single-parent family, I benefited from having the coaches and other players’ parents around me.
‘Having been brought up in that supportive environment, I am a big believer in the learning that can come from someone who has more experience and is willing to share it. Over the years, I’ve built up a strong network that allows me to do just that whenever I hit a roadblock in business, and I’m finding it very fulfilling to now be that person for the young people I mentor.”
The Prince’s Trust approached Jamie about becoming a mentor after he shared his inspiring story at an enterprise day, held at Beehive Mill in Ancoats, last year. His engaging talk, ‘10 Things I Wish I’d Known on Day One’, became the catalyst for his official involvement.
“The charity knew I was interested in mentoring, they thankfully opened the door for me – and the rest is history,” added Jamie. “I’m proud that I’ve gone from being a
‘one man and his van’ operator to a nationwide business, helping up to 70 delivery partners earn a living every day. With Today Team growing, I am happy and grateful
to now be able to invest time in building mentorship relationships that help young people whose shoes I was once in.”
Helen Galloway, youth development lead at The Prince’s Trust, said: “It is wonderful to have Jamie on board as one of our volunteer business mentors. His business has gone from strength to strength since first being supported by The Trust almost 20 years ago. It’s great that he is now using his experience and expertise to help the next generation of entrepreneurs.”
To find out more about mentoring opportunities with The Prince’s Trust, visit princes-trust.org.uk