Co-working and business support in Weymouth.

Looking for new premises!

Launched under the umbrella organisation, Weymouth Area Development Trust, Starfish Enterprise is a co-working project offering flexible, supportive and affordable space, where the local start ups and small businesses can work, share space, ideas and energy. There are also other spaces for meetings or ‘virtual’ meetings and an ideal venue for local community based organisations to have a presence in the area.

Our current venue (July 2021) Hope House, 2 Dorchester Road, Weymouth is being developed by the owners into a young people and families centre, and building work starts in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, we are still working with the Weymouth Coastal Community Team and Dorset Council on getting the right premises for the Weymouth Coastal Business Centre of Excellence.

Our Purpose

To support entrepreneurs, start-ups, micro-enterprises and small businesses in the Weymouth area – to give them a chance to survive, prosper and grow and to encourage more people to stay and work locally bringing employment and prosperity to the area.

To find out more visit Starship Enterprise

The Bigger Picture

A ‘Centre of Excellence’

In 2018 the Weymouth Coastal Community Team,( Weymouth Bid, Weymouth Area Development Trust, Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce, Weymouth College and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council)  worked together, to secure Government Funding to provide a much needed ‘Centre of Excellence’ to support the local SME business community in a co-working space with wrap-around business advice, support and networks that nurture growth, collaboration and economic regeneration in Weymouth.

The Centre of Excellence is due to be delivered by mid-2021; at which time the, already operational ‘proof of concept’, Starfish Enterprise Co-work Hub will move into premises alongside these wrap-around services from the Coastal Community Team members, Dorset Growth Hub, Dorset Council and FSB, offering a comprehensive solution that will have the resources to encourage, upskill, nurture and support the businesses of tomorrow.

To find out more visit Starship Enterprise

COVID-19 Impact

It is still too early to predict the full impact of COVID-19 on the British economy and locally here in Weymouth.  But what is certain is that things will change and likely forever.  Zoom meetings, working at home (and it’s challenges), redundancies and businesses having to close.

Experts are beginning to see organisations re-thinking their cost bases including fixed overheads such as office space.  For some, co-working space will be an attractive alternative offering ability for blended working, partly at home but with office facilities for those days that it is not possible, or there is a need for meeting space/collaboration (or just getting away from the house) We are also seeing a rise in people who continue to work during ‘staycations’, i.e. family are on the beach and parent can still keep their business running from a local cowork space/business centre.

Whether just starting out, considering your office space needs post COVID, or finding working at home not right for you, then co-working could help businesses, not only survive in these uncertain times but  to grow again.

So we are currently looking at the possibility of ‘pop up space’ for Weymouth until more permanent premises can be secured.