Stephen Garrett

As Founder and former Chair of RCMA Social Enterprise Ltd., I’ve helped steer Cardiff’s award-winning Riverside Farmers’ Market through its more than twenty years of growth, and initiated several linked enterprises, including setting up a small-scale horticulture enterprise growing organic vegetables for local consumption, which has now been spun-off as a workers co-op.

I’ve always been keen to support others having the same entrepreneurial mindset. I am currently an enterprise tutor with Cardiff University , teaching a course in Setting up a Successful Small Business in a range of community venues. I very much enjoy encouraging people to develop the confidence and self-belief to see their ideas become realities, and helping them to access the tools they may need to do this. In this same spirit, I’ve been a Role Model mentor with Big Ideas Wales for several years going into schools and colleges to inspire young people to consider setting up their own business. Sometimes a good way to do this is share with them some of the mistakes I’ve made over the years and what I learned from them, so that they see that being a successful entrepreneur has at least as much to do with having tenacity and a positive mindset, as it does with having any special abilities.  

I’m also a mentor with several other enterprise support programmes, such as Enterprising Solutions and New Start Wales (Wales Co-op Centre). 

What I enjoy about this work is having the opportunity recognise potential; to provide encouragement and practical support to people who are passionate about putting ideas into action and creating change in practical ways – even when the road  (inevitable) gets rocky or winding. 

Alongside my social enterprise management experience, I have personal experience of running a market stall which has given me a very practical background in how best to engage with customers, maximise sales, develop and promote a brand, and many aspects of business planning, marketing and customer relations.