A SCOTTISH social enterprise supporting children and adults with disabilities has scaled up its operations after accessing over £10,000 of funding with help from Business Gateway.
Bounce OT is an activity-based service that offers therapeutic services for children, young people and adults with disabilities, and their families, to overcome the impact of inequality.
The company offers a range of direct and non-direct support from registered occupational therapists and certified play leaders in its very own therapeutic playroom.
This unique room provides a safe environment and is autism friendly as well as wheelchair accessible.
All resources provided by Bounce OT aim to be inclusive for all needs, ensuring fun physical activity is possible for all ages and disabilities.
The social enterprise, founded in 2017, is the brainchild of occupational therapist Callum MacKinnon.
While studying at Glasgow Caledonian University, Callum wanted to set up an activity-based service that would help improve the life quality of children and adults with complex needs.
Having successfully run Bounce OT for four years, Callum was on a mission to grow his operations further and approached Business Gateway in 2021 for support and guidance.
From the start, Callum developed a strong relationship with his Business Gateway adviser, Stephen Cranston, who was able to provide one-to-one support.
This involved regular meetings and discussions over the past two years, helping to ensure the steady growth of the business and identifying potential weaknesses.
Having identified a lack of marketing, Business Gateway signposted Callum to grants to help with branding and marketing work.
This included establishing Bounce OT’s trademarked logo, tagline, and developing a variety of eye-catching banners and leaflets that were designed free of charge.
Most recently, Callum, guided by Business Gateway, secured a £10,000 grant from Scottish EDGE’s Young EDGE award.
The money has helped toward developing a social replication strategy, alongside a new franchise business model and a bespoke website.
Since accessing Business Gateway’s resources, Callum has been able to expand Bounce OT’s premises by taking on three rented spaces.
In addition, the HR support Callum received has enabled the organisation to have clearer processes, paperwork and contracts of employment.
Bounce OT has enjoyed popular demand over the past year, with the unique activity service being requested to occupy a variety of pop-up spaces.
These included local leisure centres in South Lanarkshire as well as spaces beyond the Forth Valley region.
Callum MacKinnon, Founder of Bounce OT said: “Business Gateway reaffirmed to us the importance of having excellent digital marketing skills.
“The support and guidance we have received from Business Gateway over the past couple of years has played a significant role in our growth.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how we can continue to grow this vital service in the future,” Callum added.
Stephen, Business Gateway advisor, said: “It is very rewarding to see Bounce OT’s recent significant growth.
“Developing marketing skills, alongside HR support have been fundamental skills for Callum.
“We’re really pleased to have been able to work together with the team to build these skills over the last four years.”
Business Gateway offers professional resources, support and tools to help businesses and those in business learn new skills, create new opportunities and develop sustainable strategies for growth.
The firm works in collaboration with a wide variety of organisations, including Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
