The organisation fixing a fundamental employment paradox in the UK - Matt Powell of Breaking Barriers

Karmic Capitalist - businesses with purpose

We have a bit of an employment paradox in the UK. As Matt Powell, the founder and CEO of Breaking Barriers, puts it "We have a government that is anti-immigration, and an economy that needs immigration to function at its capacity."

That's the gap, the gap between refugees that have made it to the UK and the unfilled jobs in the UK, that Breaking Barriers helps to fill.

Matt was always an entrepreneurial spirit. It was when that entrepreneurialism met his passion to help those at the receiving end of forced migration that he birthed the idea of Breaking Barriers.

In this episode of the Karmic Capitalist podcast, Matt talks through the journey from idea to creation to fruition and to future plans.

We talk through areas common to businesses, charities and frankly most organisations trying to get things done, and how Breaking Barriers addressed them. For instance:

The differences between being entrepreneurially-minded and the reality of running an organisation.

Shifting positioning to prospective clients (the prospective employees in this case) from "how can you help" to "this is how what we're doing helps your business". And identifying those wins (did you know for example that refugees tend to have a measurably higher retention rate when they find employment? How important is that especially in high churn industries?).

Creating a genuine win-win for those involved (I hate that phrase it's so overused - but so accurate here).

How creating a community of your customers helps them and you.

Trialling before diving full in.

The difference between companies (and leaders) who want to "do the right thing" because it helps profitability, and those for whom doing the right thing is a non-negotiable, and then making the business work accordingly.

I love what Breaking Barriers is doing. This podcast episode with its founder and CEO Matt sheds light not just on their entrepreneurial journey to scale, but on a practical approach to address an issue of social injustice.

And if you are looking to both help those who've come from challenging backgrounds, improve your diversity *and* fill vacancies in your company, get in touch with Breaking Barriers.

Enjoy the episode!

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