PRIME Initiative

Overview of PRIME
PRIME (The Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise) helps people over the age of fifty set up in business for themselves. PRIME was founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in response to letters he was receiving from people desperate to work but unable to find anyone to employ them - because of their age.

PRIME offers free information, workshops and business networking events. It can refer people to accredited advisers for free business advice, and in some parts of the country can also offer free mentoring and other services.

PRIME also campaigns at local, regional, UK and EU levels to ensure there is proper support for people over fifty considering the self-employment route into work.

About this web site
If you are interested in self-employment for yourself then our other site PRIME Business Club is likely to prove more useful. It’s full of practical ideas and helpful business information. This site is more about the campaigns PRIME is running to improve government policy towards older enterprise, the research behind them, and how the world of business support is changing. It is also about how PRIME is funded, and is where PRIME sets out its stall for funders big and small, and asks for help and volunteers.

The two sites are easy to tell apart. The practical support site has an all-green header at the top of each page and green headlines, while this site about the business of the charity PRIME has a blue theme.

If you are over 50 and thinking of setting up your own, you are also very welcome to contact PRIME direct on freephone number 0800 783 1904 (Mondays to Fridays 10am to 4pm), or email prime@ace.org.uk