To celebrate the places inspiring creativity and driving regional economic growth, VodafoneThree is bringing ‘Opportunity Hubs’ to communities across the country, helping people use connectivity to turn inspiration into action.
Research conducted by OnePoll.com found that in excess of 17 million moments of inspiration become small businesses or side hustles throughout the UK each year.1
Of those who have seen this moment of inspiration through, many have used their connection to work remotely (22%), collaborate with others (20%), and share creative work (18%).
Vodafone’s Opportunity Hubs, like the one in Hoddesdon, will offer practical workshops from Enterprise Nation.
Alongside free professional headshots and expert advice, the sessions will show communities how connectivity can help transform ambitions into hobbies, side hustles or businesses.
Kevin’s connectivity story
Kevin Orkian, 52, founded Howlin’ Entertainment in Hoddesdon in 2014. The company brings high quality entertainment to local residents, hosting everything from charity comedy nights to musicals.
Since then, the company has grown from being based in a small 5,000 square foot garage to warehouse twice the size, with Kev often running the business from his phone while travelling around the country.
He is also one of the directors of Love Hoddesdon, the town’s Business Improvement District, and runs entertainment for beloved restaurants in the town.
As a result, having access to his mobile phone on the go has become critical for keeping Kev’s business up and running, whether that involves updating the website or filming and sharing social content.
In fact, his company has 15 different WhatsApp groups, which he uses to plan events and keep in touch with clients.
The importance of having connectivity when inspiration strikes
Kev’s story comes as research, commissioned by VodafoneThree, shows how mobile connectivity can play an important role in bringing businesses to life.
The study of 2,000 Brits reveals that, while 74% feel inspired by their everyday surroundings, 55% claim that their local area acts as fuel for their inspiration.
And, when an idea strikes, more than a third (35%) then use their smartphone to immediately search for more information, with 92% finding their phone helpful for capturing or developing ideas.
“I think mobile connectivity allows for interactive intimacy”
Overall, 55% said getting online while out and about has helped them turn inspiration into something tangible – as proven by Kev.
“I think mobile connectivity allows for interactive intimacy,” he says.
“I can just WhatsApp someone and say, ‘let’s chat’, and then this often progresses into a phone call and then a video call.
“The one-to-one interaction is really, really vital for securing clients.”
Opportunity Hubs: Everything you need to know
Each Opportunity Hub will be located in an area which has seen significant network upgrades as part of VodafoneThree’s £11 billion investment to build the UK’s best network.
Initially visiting Hoddesdon, Mansfield, Bourne, Rottingdean, Tynemouth and Abergavenny, the pop-up Hubs will transform local venues in the heart of each community.
As a result, they will become spaces where people can: explore new ideas; access practical tools; and take the next step towards turning inspiration into a hobby, side hustle or small business.
1 Research was conducted online by OnePoll among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults, representative by age, gender and region, between 12 and 17 August 2026.
