Today, the first day of Virtual Armed Forces Week, X-Forces Enterprise (XFE), the UK’s largest provider of enterprise support to the ex-military in business, announces its partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) as well as the launch of the new XFE Military in Business® Knowledge Exchange Hub (XFE hub).
Ren Kapur MBE, Founder and CEO, X-Forces Enterprise said:
“XFE and FSB have been working tirelessly over the last year to develop a synergistic support foundation for the Armed Forces Business Community. The partnership will allow easier entry for start up and scale up businesses to have continued support from a membership organization with the same values as XFE. In addition to this, FSB is a leading voice in lobbying for policy change, including a firm commitment to the armed forces, which ensures the partnership will continue to yield much benefit for XFE beneficiaries across the width and breadth of the UK”.
The free to use digital XFE hub is a business support platform specifically for the Armed Forces Community. Designed to complement the support already offered by XFE, the XFE hub is a one-stop-shop for all things related to self-employment, including peer-to-peer support, free events and business information.
People using the hub can also benefit from matching up with a Business Captain who will be an expert in a specific business area and will offer peer-to-peer support and guidance. XFE is looking for potential Business Captains who are being recruited from all sorts of backgrounds, many of whom will be veterans themselves, and will range from XFE ambassadors, experienced entrepreneurs and a whole host of successful business owners from a range of business types. All wanting to give something back to the military community.
Lt General Richard Nugee CB, CVO, CBE and Patron of XFE said: :
“The partnership with the FSB coupled with the launch of the new Knowledge Exchange Hub is a fantastic illustration of the growing importance of enterprise learning across the Armed Forces community. The revolutionary XFE hub not only provides peer to peer support; it will inspire experts within both the business and charity sectors to engage, contribute or simply have the reassurance that their beneficiaries are being supported.”
Mike Cherry OBE, FSB National Chairman:
“Having previously served as an Armed Forces Reservist I am especially proud to support the community during Armed Forces Week. At the Federation of Small Businesses, we already support a significant number of ex-forces running businesses through FSB membership, and we’d like to support many more to start-up and run a business.
“Through big business supporting small business, and with the right guidance and support, more service leavers could join or set up their own small business, bringing vital skills and adding to Britain’s economic prosperity. Many skills learned in the forces are pertinent to running a business – technical skills, logistics, leadership and management. X-Forces Enterprise’s brand-new Knowledge Exchange Hub offers even more guidance to the community, and removes the barriers of time, travel and family commitments giving the Military community unparalleled access to business information, knowledge exchange and support.”
Daniel Elser, Assistant Director of Operations at The Royal British Legion:
“We are delighted to have a long history of working with X-Forces Enterprise. This latest project, to support the development of the new digital hub, will provide our Armed Forces Community with easy access to information and guidance on self-employment. This type of online platform is now more relevant than ever while we all navigate through these testing times.”
To have a look at what is available on the XFE hub, or to find out more about matching with or becoming a Business Captain, please visit: www.xfehub.com
