Phillippina offers financial advice from her base in Surrey Quays Shopping Centre

For the Canada Water development to work for everyone, a flourishing local economy will be vital. Charity Tree Shepherd are on a mission to help entrepreneurs make this happen by establishing businesses to serve the community. Thrive, Tree Shepherd’s affordable workspace located next to Tesco in Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, offers local businesspeople a place to call their base, along with advice and support to help their enterprises grow.

Independent Personal Protection Advisor Phillippina Prempeh has lived in the area for more than a decade and worked for several years in the Surrey Quays branch of Halifax.  “This is where the root of my desire to help people understand their personal banking options began,” she says.  “I’m a well-known face within the community.”

Having set up as a sole trader, she worked for a while out of an office in Barking, which she could afford but was out of her way. “I was driving through Surrey Quays and I saw a sign offering affordable workspace. I came down and spoke to Jamie-Lee from Tree Shepherd and it was all just seamless, a space was available and I took it.  Now I’m back in the centre again  – where it all began, offering advice within the Thrive office space.”

Phillippina’s main market is families. She specialises in personal protection, helping people safeguard their incomes, their health and their families through insurance products such as income protection, life assurance, critical illness cover and private healthcare.

“One of the most memorable events was watching one of my favourite customers move from milestone to milestone,” she says. “When she got married and got a mortgage I convinced her to cover herself with a protection policy. Years later she had a baby and shortly her partner passed away. Prior to that happening, they both came to see me and we sorted out a policy with Scottish Widows. She can’t thank me enough, every time she sees me. She didn’t realise how the financial impact would have been, had she not taken out that policy.”

A major part of Phillippina’s business is centred on referrals, and the monthly pop-ups she does in the shopping centre help her expand her network.  “Tesco commands a high footfall into the shopping centre, which is so important to my business due to the close proximity of the Thrive hub,” she says. “Once a month I try to be to be here with my banner, leaflets and freebies. The pop-ups provide me with more visibility and the opportunity to speak to people. I can point over to where we can do our follow-up meetings and they know where to come.”

The mentoring services Thrive offer have helped Phillippina acquire new skills to grow her business. “Their lead generation workshop was fantastic,” she says. We had the benefit of learning from a business coach called Dwain Reid, who gave me some insight about email marketing, how to push my business digitally and make it really effective. I do have a lot of data, and he showed me how to maximise my business with the clients and the data that I have at the moment.”

Delegation was another takeaway from the session, and “we also looked at the regeneration of Canada Water – how does that affect  what I’m doing and how can I best adapt to take my business to the next level. What do I need to let go of, how do I need to show up?

“I’m excited about all the changes that are coming into the local area, the new amenities that are coming in. I’m a foodie, so there’s going to be foodie amenities. I  have children who use the Seven Islands Leisure Centre, but I can’t wait for us to migrate into the new leisure centre they’re building. I’m curious to see what the landscape will be like, I can’t wait.”

To talk to Phillippina about personal protection and financial planning, visit www.accessfs-london.co.uk/about/, call 07432 118 664, email phillippina.prempeh@gmail.com or visit  ms_moneymattersuk on Instagram.

To find out more about the affordable workspace at Thrive by Tree Shepherd, visit treeshepherd.org.uk, call Jamie-Lee Jones on 020 3948 3020 /  07857 394777 or email jamie-lee@treeshepherd.org.uk