The Cultural Development Agency for the Isle of Wight
Rebel Business School – Isle of Wight report 2026
Sam Cattee
8, July 2026
Written by Amy Hall.
At the beginning of 2026, we invited creative freelancers, makers, artists, performers and early-stage founders, to a free programme of out-of-the box training, with Rebel Business School.
Formerly known as Pop Up Business School, Rebel has supported over 45,000 people worldwide since 2012 to start and grow businesses – many of them creatives, freelancers and people who never thought of themselves as “business owners”.
Rebel’s approach is practical, encouraging and action-led:
No business plans
No start-up costs
No intimidating theory
Just real-world testing, learning and momentum
They previously supported 162 Islanders in 2019–2020, helping start 70+ new Island businesses, following their success they returned for January 2026 with an updated programme tailored to today’s creative economy.
We’ve just received a report from Rebel, outlining the success of the programme and we’re excited to share with you the outcome.
Interestingly, only 30% of attendees were existing IW Creative Network members. This event was hosted by the Creative Network; a cultural development agency for Isle of Wight, run by Creative Island. You can join the network for regular updates and opportunities – such as future Rebel Business School training.
On the previous programme in 2019, 15% of people were already self-employed. This year, it was amazing to see that 39% of people had already bravely stepped in the business world before even attending the course. A similar pattern was seen for people already trading as self-employed, previously it was 30% but this year it was a whopping 53%.
Ultimately, the aim of the course was to create a space for people to overcome barriers to entrepreneurship. Data shows that 73% of people that attended, felt like the course helped them do this.
But don’t just take our word for it, here’s what some of the business owners had to say.
Paul Zanardi said “I am incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity and hope to use the knowledge to add value to our community”
Adam Hayles said “Absolutely amazing course. It felt so human as well as an opposed to other corporate jargon ones. Easy to follow.”
Simon King said “Thankyou so much for all you put into the course, it had just the right amount of humour and seriousness, it was fun and engaging and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is even considering starting their own business.”
We are so chuffed at the response this training received, a testament to the clever delivery of training from Rebel and the wonderful entrepreneurs on the Island that attended. All of which was made possible by the Isle of Wight council, who funded the delivery of this course. If you missed this round of training, keep your eyes peeled to see if Rebel return to the Island in the future.
