The Real Beginning
A kitchen-table conversation with Ju Julie, The CIC Lady
You’ve got an idea. Maybe it’s been sitting quietly in the back of your mind, a class, a project, a way to help people that won’t leave you alone.
Before you get tangled in forms and funding, let’s pause.
Let’s start where the real beginning always is, with you.
What this free guide is about
💙 Honest, plain-English conversation about what it really takes to start a CIC
💙 A peek behind the jargon — what a CIC actually is (and isn’t)
💙 Simple questions to help you find your “why,” “who,” and “what change”
💙 The truth about where most of us go wrong and how to start differently
This isn’t business training. It’s a proper chat — cuppa, notebook, snacks welcome.
What happens next
Once you’ve had that first kitchen-table read, you’ll probably start nodding along, thinking, “Finally, this makes sense.”
That’s when you’ll be ready for the next bit, the deeper, guided version.
Ready for more? Upgrade to the full Decide Guide (£37)
If the freebie is our first chat, the Decide Guide is the full sit-down.
It walks you through:
💙 My real story — how I built my own CIC after redundancy
💙 The stories of three women — Zoe, Hetty and Jodie, finding their path
💙 Reflection pages to help you define your purpose, your people, and your next step
💙 The truth about CICs — the balance between mission, money, and control
💙 Your “moment of yes” — the decision that changes everything
By the end, you won’t be guessing. You’ll know whether a CIC fits your dream and how to start it right.
Why this matters
Most people start their CIC in the wrong place, with forms, not purpose.
This is where we do it properly.
When you begin with clarity, everything else gets easier, funding, delivery, growth, all of it.
Pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, and start your real beginning.