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Enterprise Support Stars Recognised
The who's who of national small business membership and business support organisations gathered at Kensington Roof Gardens for the 8th Annual SFEDI Advisory Board Enterprise Training and Support Awards. Entrepreneurs, accountants, bookkeepers, mentors, coaches, online and offline network builders and business advisers were recognised for their outstanding achievements over the last year in supporting pre start, start ups and existing self employed and small business owners.
The overall Enterprise Support Champion for 2010 was Clare Hudson for her In4merz and Supporting Tomorrow programmes. Clare, a successful entrepreneur herself, from London, gives many thousands of young potential entrepreneurs hands on work experience and learning in the digital, creative and media sector. So, for example, In4merz members learn by marketing and promoting music artists such as Lady Gaga, Pixie Lott and Alexandra Burke. This they find exciting and engaging.
A theme at the event was how to make the UK the best place in the world to start your own business. Julie Meyer, CEO of Ariadne Capital, Founder of Entrepreneur Country and BBC Online Dragons Den dragon said in her presentation that she knew hardly anyone under thirty that wanted to work for someone else. Others commented that for many individuals' circumstances made working for themselves the only viable income earning option. All agreed that in order to succeed potential small business owners needed practical enterprise skills, know-how and support. That's where SFEDI comes in describing and recognising best practice in providing this training and support.
Tony Robinson OBE, Founder/Director of SFEDI said ' The last 3 overall champions have all had a massive positive impact in helping many thousands of people to get the practical know how to start and run their own enterprise. The UK's enterprise support community has many in it that are professionals like accountants, advisers and coaches but also many that are entrepreneurs putting something back in as a mentor or by developing 'help each other' networks. They should all be enabled by government to do more, as one in seven of the adult workforce are now running their own enterprise and half a million start ups each year would be more successful with the right help'.
'The next government should listen to us and then 'go with the grain' of the existing private sector and voluntary support to start ups, small and home business owners. SFEDI can help ensure the quality is spot on. Government must not waste huge sums by setting up their own agencies, staffed by their own people, many of whom have no relevant small business experience, to deliver their own programmes that may meet their spurious targets but just don't meet the needs of the individual enterprise owner.'
