Supersonic Startup

Welcome — and thanks for stopping by!

Supersonic Startup helps people with additional barriers turn their ideas into thriving self-employment opportunities.

We partner with larger organisations, including councils and prime contractors, to ensure participants can access their Supersonic journey completely free of charge.

We also offer a distinctive Management Development Programme for corporate teams.

Our Mission
Supersonic Startup empowers people to create meaningful, independent futures through entrepreneurship. We provide practical training, tools, and ongoing support to help individuals and teams turn ideas into sustainable ventures — driving personal freedom, social impact, and economic growth.

Our Services

Self-employment
training course

We deliver a dynamic three-day self-employment programme — available in person or online. Participants gain a comprehensive workbook, hands-on confidence-building exercises, ongoing peer and email support, and all the business templates needed to launch a successful venture. Unlike many traditional business courses, our workshops are genuinely engaging and enjoyable — designed to inspire real action and lasting results.

Management development programme

We train managers to become effective mentors for individuals in the local community who face additional barriers to self-employment. Through our progressive, high-impact programme, your team will gain meaningful leadership experience while directly supporting aspiring entrepreneurs. This isn’t your typical CSR initiative — it’s a forward-thinking, hands-on experience that delivers real social impact and personal growth for your staff.

About

At Supersonic Startup, we’re dedicated to being the leading provider of self-employment training that truly changes lives. We specialise in supporting people to overcome barriers, start their own businesses, and build independent, fulfilling futures — through results-driven learning and innovative technology. Our mission is simple: to inspire, teach, and mentor individuals to realise their supersonic dreams.

We recognise that people with additional barriers already have the potential to succeed in business — they just need the right support. Traditional programmes can often feel inaccessible or intimidating, so we designed a practical, inclusive approach that values confidence and self-esteem as much as business planning and finance.

With the right guidance, self-employment can be an empowering path — whether for ex-offenders facing limited job options, lone parents balancing work and family, or individuals managing physical or mental health conditions who need flexibility and autonomy.

Our experienced and approachable business advisors understand the real-world challenges participants face. Using proven techniques, we help them overcome internal and external barriers, develop self-belief, and take confident steps toward success.

We also recognise that mainstream business support is often too costly or unsuitable for many. That’s why we collaborate with partners to deliver tailored, accessible programmes — enabling participants to transform not just their work, but their lives.

Steve Saul - Social Media Producer (BBC Comedy Online, Britain’s Got Talent, EastEnders, The Great British Bake Off, LEGO, Microsoft)

“I never thought I’d leave a course about business planning so pumped to make a plan of my own.”

Peter, course

participant, Wembley

"Phil and Benna are the Starsky & Hutch of vocational training. Simple no nonsense, practical guide to self-employment, delivered clearly, with humour and empathy."

Course participant, Brighton

"It was amazing! I learnt so much and feel ready to be self-employed which I never would've tried if I wasn't accepted for this course. It's been truly life changing."

Meet the Team

Director

Phil Ashford

Phil is an experienced and accredited business adviser with a strong background across both the private and public sectors, specialising in pre–start-up support for individuals facing additional barriers. He has lectured in schools and colleges, and delivered enterprise awareness programmes for underprivileged teenagers throughout Sussex.

Phil’s career includes senior roles at Panasonic UK, The Pensions Regulator, the University of Brighton, and leading digital marketing agency SiteVisibility. He is also the former Director of the East Sussex Gateway and has contributed to regional strategy groups such as NEWCEP and the City Skills and Employment Group in Brighton & Hove.

Internationally, Phil lectures at German universities on mentoring and entrepreneurship, and has served as a Growth Champion for the Thames Valley Growth Hub as well as a Board Member of the National Enterprise Network.

Phil holds an MBA, a Diploma in Performance Coaching, and is a SFEDI Accredited Business Adviser. He is also a Prince2 Practitioner, PTTLS qualified, and Enhanced DBS checked.

Private business coaching sessions with Phil are available for individual clients. Please contact us directly for pricing and availability.

Director

Benna McCartney

Benna is a qualified coach who trained with the Coaching Academy and has successfully run her own coaching practice since 2003. She specialises in confidence and self-esteem building and in helping individuals navigate major life changes with clarity and resilience.

As a Community Business Coach with Chichester College, Benna supported unemployed individuals to start their own ventures. She has extensive experience coaching offenders, ex-offenders, the long-term unemployed, and others facing additional barriers to self-employment.

Benna’s approach is rooted in the belief that sustainable self-employment begins with strong personal foundations. Her coaching method is tailored to each client’s life experience, using powerful questioning techniques to unlock self-awareness and confidence.

Alongside Phil, she has supported over 6,000 start-ups, earned three awards, and is a passionate advocate for female entrepreneurship.

An experienced entrepreneur herself, Benna has founded eight businesses since the age of 18. She is PTTLS qualified, Enhanced DBS checked and a singer.

Private business coaching sessions with Benna are available for individual clients. Please contact us directly for pricing and availability.

Contact

Contact number: 07740 022 797

Email: info@supersonicstartup.com

Social media:

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