From £7K to £1.1M: How 4 Community Trust Scaled Through Purpose and Partnerships

In this episode of The Class Business Podcast, Krissy Monaghan is joined by Jo Haydon, Chief Executive of 4 Community Trust, a community interest company based in Sandwell in the Black Country. Working across all six towns in Sandwell, 4 Community Trust delivers childcare, SEND support, community services and health and wellbeing programmes for children and families. Jo shares the extraordinary growth story behind the organisation, from a first-year turnover of around £7,000 to £1.135 million, a team of more than 70 people, 12 childcare clubs, two community centres, food pantries and a major SEND programme. What makes the story particularly powerful is the way Jo and her team have continued to pivot around what the local community actually needs, using partnerships, funding and traded services to create a model that can generate income while increasing its impact across Sandwell. We talk about: • How 4 Community Trust grew out of Jo's previous business • Jo's deep personal connection to Sandwell • Going from around £7,000 turnover to more than £1.1 million • Growing from four people to a team of 70+ • Building 12 before and after-school childcare clubs • Securing a £750,000 SEND short-breaks contract • Taking over and transforming two community centres • Why community spaces still matter • Winning nearly £50,000 worth of acoustic ceiling through a LinkedIn competition • Creating outdoor and sensory environments for children with SEND • Developing life-skills and social opportunities for young people aged 18–25 • Growing staff through apprenticeships, volunteering and training • Why Jo has had to learn to delegate • Letting team members lead in their own way • Combining traded services with grant-funded community work • Working with schools to deliver the new free breakfast programme • Using partnerships to respond when policy and funding change • The reality of rising costs in a service-based organisation • Why local knowledge remains at the heart of the organisation 👉 Find out more about 4 Community Trust: https://www.4communitytrust.co.uk/ 👉 Connect with Jo Haydon on LinkedIn:   / johaydon   Jo and the team are double finalists at The Class Business Awards 2026 for: Content Marketing Awards, sponsored by Tamara Holland from Dot & Stripe Marketing and Sales Excellence, sponsored by Bloom Baby Classes Join us on Saturday 10 October 2026 at the National Conference Centre in Solihull for The Class Business Live, followed by The Class Business Awards & Afterparty. https://www.kristinemonaghan.online/o... #TheClassBusinessPodcast #TheClassBusinessAwards Suggested YouTube chapters 00:00 Meet Jo Haydon 00:45 Eight years of 4 Community Trust 01:13 From teaching to community enterprise 01:42 Building from four people to 70+ 02:10 Growing childcare and SEND services 03:08 Taking over community centres in Sandwell 03:47 The story behind the name 4 Community Trust 04:00 From £7K to £1.135M turnover 05:52 Why community centres still matter 07:19 Funding the transformation of Hurst Road 07:34 Winning a £50K ceiling through LinkedIn 09:11 Creating outdoor and sensory spaces 10:54 Growing SEND provision 12:15 Supporting young adults aged 18–25 13:47 Building and developing a 70-person team 15:46 Why everyone still mucks in 17:36 How the community food pantries work 19:21 Responding to the free breakfast programme 20:33 Learning to delegate as the organisation grows 21:44 Why the CIC model works 22:10 The financial reality of rising costs 22:46 How to connect with 4 Community Trust