Our Story
It Started Outside a Sainsbury's
One encounter. Two lives changed.A mission born.
flipside CIC was born from a moment of connection that changed two lives forever. When Jo Brooker, founder of C2C Group, met David outside her local Sainsbury's where he was homeless and begging, she made a decision: don't walk past this one.
She offered David a job interview at C2C Group. He took a chance. So did she. What followed was transformation - rehab, recovery, rebuilding, and ultimately, rediscovered purpose.
The Inspiration for Something Bigger
Watching David's journey from homelessness to valued team member at C2C Group showed Jo what was possible with the right support. Then came Rob - a young person under 24 struggling to find meaningful work, who through C2C Group's training and apprenticeship programme became a Training Manager, now helping others develop their careers.
Two different people, two different challenges, same outcome: transformation through opportunity, support, and belief. These successes weren't lucky accidents - they were replicable. That realisation sparked the vision for flipside CIC.
Full Circle
Now David serves as our Community Champion, using his lived experience to guide others through similar transformations. His journey from surviving outside Sainsbury's to co-creating a company that changes lives proves that every story truly has a flipside.
Our Vision
From surviving to thriving – transforming lives by breaking down barriers, giving purpose, and igniting hope.
Our Mission
We help people facing life's hardest challenges - homelessness, addiction, and long-term unemployment - to find their way back to purpose, dignity, and sustainable employment. We walk alongside people step by step, helping them feel safe and secure, building their skills and confidence, and connecting them with employers who believe in fair chances and fresh starts.
Because with the right support, every story can be rewritten.
Our Values
These five values guide everything we do - from how we support participants to how we build partnerships and measure success.
Trust is the foundation of everything we do.
People need to feel safe, respected, and believed in before they can move forward. Without trust, transformation simply cannot happen.
For Those We Help: You can depend on us to listen, to show up, and to care. We keep our promises. Your story stays confidential. Your dignity is paramount. When you're ready to take a step forward, we'll be there.
For Our Funders and Partners: You can trust that we act with integrity, transparency, and accountability in every decision we make. We're honest about our capabilities, clear about our impact, and responsible with every pound invested in our work.
For Our Team: We build trust through honesty, reliability, and consistency. We show up for each other and hold ourselves to high standards of integrity in every interaction.
Trust
1
We believe in the potential of every person we meet - and we're committed to helping them believe in themselves.
Belief isn't just positive thinking - it's seeing authentic strengths and possibilities that circumstances have obscured.
For Those We Help: Even when life has been tough, we see the person, not the problem. We recognise that surviving homelessness, overcoming addiction, or navigating long-term unemployment demonstrates resilience, determination, and strength. These are professional assets - we help you see them that way too.
For Our Funders and Partners: We turn belief into measurable impact by helping people rebuild purpose, dignity, and independence. Your belief in our mission translates into real lives transformed and communities strengthened.
For Our Team: We see strengths and possibilities in each other. We support professional growth, celebrate successes, and create an environment where everyone can contribute their unique talents.
Belief
2
We take responsibility for our actions and the difference we make.
Accountability means being answerable for outcomes, learning from experiences, and continuously improving our approach.
For Those We Help: We do what we say we'll do - and we do it with care. If we commit to support, we follow through. If we face challenges, we're honest about them and work together to find solutions.
For Our Funders and Partners: We demonstrate outcomes with transparency and pride, ensuring your support makes a tangible difference. You'll receive clear impact reporting, honest updates, and evidence of transformation that your investment creates.
For Our Team: We deliver on our promises and learn from every experience. We're accountable to each other for maintaining high standards, supporting participants effectively, and representing flipside's values in everything we do.
Accountability
3
Growth is at the heart of change - for people, for our team, and for our organisation.
We believe in continuous development at every level, because sustainable transformation requires ongoing commitment to learning and improvement.
For Those We Help: We help people build confidence, skills, and hope for the future. Growth isn't linear - there will be setbacks and challenges. We celebrate progress in all its forms, from small confidence gains to major employment milestones.
For Our Funders and Partners: We invest in sustainable, life-changing progress - not short-term fixes. Your support funds growth that lasts: skills that endure, confidence that compounds, and employment that provides foundation for continued advancement.
For Our Team: We keep learning, improving, and supporting each other to do our best work. Professional development isn't a perk - it's essential to providing excellent support. We invest in our people so they can invest in participants.
Growth
4
Humanity
We treat everyone with compassion, empathy, and respect.
Humanity means recognising the inherent worth and dignity of every person, regardless of their circumstances or challenges.
For Those We Help: We see your worth, not your circumstance. Past challenges don't define future potential. Current struggles don't diminish inherent value. We meet you where you are with compassion and walk alongside you toward where you want to be.
For Our Funders and Partners: Humanity drives our mission - your support helps us build a fairer, kinder society. Every investment in flipside is an investment in human dignity, potential, and the belief that everyone deserves the -opportunity to thrive.
For Our Team: We value each other's wellbeing and celebrate diversity. We create a workplace culture where people feel seen, heard, and appreciated for who they are and what they contribute.
5
Meet Our Founders
Jo Brooker
Founder & Director
Founder and Managing Director of C2C Group, Jo brings extensive experience in recruitment, training, and business development to flipside. Her passion for this work was ignited by witnessing David's transformation at C2C Group - proof that with the right support, anyone can rewrite their career story.
"Hiring David taught me that employment barriers often mask incredible potential. Success isn't about charity - it's about seeing people's authentic value and giving them the platform to demonstrate it."
David Kaufman
Community Champion
David's journey from homelessness to valued C2C Group team member inspired the creation of flipside. Now he uses his lived experience to guide others through similar transformations, proving that the people who've faced the biggest challenges often make the most effective champions for change.
"I know what rock bottom looks like, but I also know what's possible when someone believes in you. At C2C Group, Jo and the team saw my potential before I could see it myself. Now we're creating that same opportunity for others."
What Makes Us Different?
Lived Experience Leadership
We're different because our support is designed and delivered by people who've actually lived the transformation journey, backed by proven business success.
Our Community Champions aren't just trained professionals - they're individuals who've faced homelessness, addiction, unemployment, and other barriers, then successfully rebuilt their careers. Combined with Jo's track record of employment transformation at C2C Group, this creates support that's both authentically empathetic and strategically effective.
Our First Year Vision
Pilot Programme 2026
Our inaugural programme will work with 50 people across Hertfordshire, supporting their journey from striving to thriving. This carefully designed pilot allows us to provide intensive, personalised support whilst building the partnerships and infrastructure for future expansion.