Her Biz March 2024 Winner
Owner of Adaptive Motorhome Hire wins £500 to jumpstart her business from the NatWest funded Her Biz Start Up Business workshops.
Built on a unique opportunity for people with a range of disabilities to rent wheelchair accessible motorhomes for inclusive travel, Maxine Moore is revolutionising the travel industry by breaking down the barriers and stereotypes of disabilities through her start-up ‘Adaptive Motorhome Hire’.
Maxine won £500 towards her start-up costs for Adaptive Motorhome Hire after taking part in the NatWest funded Her Biz start-up workshop programme in March 2024, and submitting her winning business plan to the following optional competition, which is open to all participants.
The Her Biz programme, which is delivered by Let’s Do Business Group and supported by NatWest bank, consists of 4 x 2-hour workshops over 4 weeks, and aims to increase entrepreneurship by breaking down the barriers between women and starting or growing a business. Delivered virtually over Zoom by our expert business coach, the programme has been a long running success since it launched over 4 years ago.
What is Adaptive Motorhome Hire?
Adaptive Motorhome Hire aims to provide motorhome rental specifically for the disabled community. The vehicles will be customised to support individuals throughout the adapted environments. Each holiday package will offer opportunities of independence, inclusion, freedom and choice alongside insurance and breakdown cover to ensure safety and peace of mind.
Following a life changing accident 5 years ago, Maxine’s husband, Terry, of 26 years and business partner is now registered as disabled and lives with limb loss. Together with a positive attitude, resilience and patience, they were able to begin to adapt to a new chapter of their lives, learning how to live and enjoy life with a disability.
“We are extremely lucky to own our own motorhome, which we had adapted with secondary hand controls to make the vehicle accessible to Terry. Our motorhome has opened up so many different opportunities for family travel and vacations in a variety of settings. The idea to share the joy of the freedom the motorhome offered us sowed the seeds for the start of this innovation.”
The business itself is not just about renting out motorhomes. It’s all about the people who rent them and the opportunities the adaptive environments provide. The lack of accessibility and inclusion in a flooded market left Maxine questioning; why should individuals be left behind? What opportunities can her business offer and how can she make the positive impact needed in society today and in the future?
“This passion has been bubbling inside me for years. I have always found a solution in life, encouraging people to do the same, is just the start of my Entrepreneurial spirit which is working hard behind the scenes and putting myself out there in the disabled community to offer them a chance of change. This possibility has been welcomed by many. The response is overwhelming and is even more of a drive in my mission.”
Choosing to promote the business through Instagram and Facebook, Maxine is able to target the demographic for her business, as well as follow and interact with different disabilities and disabled traveling groups to promote her business. Through her husband’s amputation and rehab, she has been able to build close connections with different organisations which work with disabilities such as Proactive Prosthetic, Coachbuilt GB, The Disablement Service Centre and Access Adventures. From her previous career, Maxine also has close connections to SEN schools in Kent.
Finding the Her Biz programme
Maxine joined the Her Biz Start Up Business Workshop to gain some clarity on the practicalities of starting her own business, and how she could set about making her ideas for Adaptive Motorhome Hire a success.
The Her Biz Women’s Start Up Business Workshops, delivered through 4 x 2-hour sessions, covers everything from sales, marketing, finance, and business planning; and from this, Maxine was able to create her plan of making Adaptive Motorhome Hire official, and how she could turn her hobby into a full-time business. After completing series of workshops, Maxine submitted her business plan to the subsequent competition, which is open to all attendees, and won the £500 prize towards her start-up costs.
“My confidence and self-development have excelled during the Her Biz programme. The information shared gave me invaluable tools to start my business. The community of female entrepreneurs gave me support and encouragement, which inspired me to step out of my comfort zone and turn my passion into a business. I am very grateful for the opportunity and would like to thank Lisa and everyone involved.”
Having completed the Her Biz programme with a renewed motivation for moving Adaptive Motorhome Hire forward, Maxine plans to attend festivals and events, including ‘Van-Life Festival’, to further promote the business and build awareness.
“It was a pleasure having Maxine take part in Her Biz, she was really engaged, and her business plan clearly showed the passion she has for her business and showed that she had put in a lot of effort to complete a very comprehensive plan and showed that her business idea can be financially viable. I wish Maxine every success for the future in her business.”
All the team at Let’s Do Business Group wish Maxine and Adaptive Motorhome Hire the best of luck!