THE WAY IT USED TO BE
Local businesses, backing local businesses.
No algorithms. No ads. Just business owners in BCP, showing up for each other.
Pay what you can. From ÂŁ0.
Small businesses used to lean on each other. Recommend each other. Buy from each other. Show up for each other.
Somewhere along the way, that got lost.
Social media taught us to compete. Beat the algorithm. Get seen before the business next door does.
We think that’s backwards.
The real magic happens when people stop competing and start joining forces.
We’re bringing it back.
WHY JOIN
You already know what it’s like out there.
Doing it alone. Competing for the same customers. Watching the algorithm decide who gets seen this week.
It doesn’t have to be like that.
Social media trained all of us to compete, for likes, for reach, for customers. But the businesses that actually thrive here aren’t the ones fighting hardest for attention. They’re the ones who stopped competing and joined forces instead.
Step Up BCP is business owners across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, choosing to help each other instead.
- Need a skill you don’t have? Swap for it.
- Got something to sell? The community’s already here.
- Need a hand, a referral, a bit of encouragement? So does everyone else. That’s the point.
When one of us does well, we all do. Because we’re each other’s customers too.
This isn’t networking. It’s community.
HOW IT WORKS
Three ways to support each other. However it works for you and the person you’re working with, that’s up to you. We just bring you together.
Trade what you're good at for what someone else is good at.
Same idea, goods or services instead of skills.
Pay-what-you-can, agreed rate, whatever's simplest for both of you.
MEMBERSHIP
Pay what you can. From ÂŁ0.
Step Up BCP is not-for-profit. What you contribute covers the real cost of running this, hosting, the platform, materials to keep the community going. Nothing more.
As a member, you’ll:
- Get a page on the Step Up BCP directory, so other local people can find and choose you
- Get access to Skill Swap. Post what you need, or what you can offer
- Get invited to Step Up Spaces and community events
- Be part of a network that actively shows up for each other
No pressure. No sales targets. Just a community that wants to see you do well.
EVENTS
Human connection, in person.
Screens are great. But nothing replaces standing in a room with someone who gets it.
Monthly Community Celebration
Got something to sell, show, or perform? A product, a service, a talk, a bit of live music. Bring it. This is a space for the whole community to come together, support local, and see what BCP’s business owners are made of.
Monthly Meetup
No pitch, no agenda. We get together, do a litter pick, and just talk. Sometimes the best connections happen when nobody’s trying to sell anything.
Details of upcoming events are shared with members.
STEP UP SPACES
Empty spaces. Full potential.
BCP has venues sitting quiet during the week. CafĂŠs, pubs, halls, shops, that could be full of people connecting, swapping skills, celebrating local business.
We’re looking for spaces willing to open their doors.
A few ideas of what this could look like:
- Host a Skill Swap session
- Host our monthly Community Celebration
- Offer your space for a quiet work session or meetup
We don’t have a fixed format. We’d rather work it out together with the spaces who want in.
Own or manage a space in BCP? We’d love to hear from you.
DIRECTORY
Find local. Choose local.
Every member of Step Up BCP has a page here, what they do, who they are, how to reach them.
Before you search online, search here first.
WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR
This isn’t a one-woman show. It never should have been.
Step Up BCP grows because people show up for it, not because one person burns out trying to do it all.
If you’re the kind of person who notices what needs doing and just does it, quietly and consistently, without needing the credit, we’d love to talk.
As this grows, the aim is simple: people who help lead a part of this, running Step Up Spaces, organising events, whatever it might be, get paid for it. Properly. Not as an afterthought.
No drama, no ego. Just people who care about BCP as much as we do.
