It started, as many things do, with a conversation over coffee.
In 2011, Alan Donegan and Simon Paine were sharing ideas, and one stood out:
What if there was a business school that made people money instead of costing them money?
They knew that traditional business support was built on the assumptions that you needed:
Most importantly, it excluded the very people it was supposed to help.
Simon had seen this first-hand, working with early-stage founders in communities where opportunity was limited.
Alan had experienced it directly and almost walked away from entrepreneurship altogether.
If the system could put off those who are resourceful and motivated, what was it doing to everyone else?
Alan & Simon didn’t set out to build a company. It started as an experiment to test a different idea.
No business plans, no debt, just action.
The first PopUp Business School launched in Weston-super-Mare in 2012.
Something happened in that first course. People started doing things they hadn’t thought possible. They made sales. They gained confidence.
It felt different, and it worked.
What began as an experiment grew quickly, from one course to many.
From one small town to multiple countries, a simple idea became a proven model.
Over time, tens of thousands of people took part, with many starting businesses, generating income and creating new opportunities for themselves and others.
But the core remained unchanged. Focus on people empowerment (not business viability), remove barriers and take action.
As the world changed, so did Rebel. Our name evolved, our reach expanded, and the work deepened.
The PopUp became something more permanent.
Not just a different way to start a business, but a different way to think about growth and leadership, because the same principles apply everywhere.
Our work has taken us to Colombia, New Zealand, the USA, Mexico, France, Morocco, Namibia, Ireland and across the UK.
This brings us to the present day.
Today, Rebel works with:
The work looks different in each context, but the principle is the same. Help people grow, and everything else follows.
The challenges facing people and organisations are changing from economic uncertainty to technological disruption. There are shifting expectations of work and life.
But the opportunity is the same as it was in that first conversation over coffee.
More people, in more places, creating better futures for themselves and others. Rebel exists to make that possible.
We’re not here to follow the traditional way of doing things.
We’re here to build what comes next.
