A new approach to Start-up

The Start Up Britain campaign launched at the end of March and many bloggers, tweeters and commentators got their knickers in a twist. In the current climate perhaps a certain amount of cynicism can be excused. But with the best part of 500,000 people a year starting a new business already, there is more than enough room for everyone who wants to help. Not every entrepreneur is the same; not every enterprise is the same; and not everybody has the same learning style. And new high profile activity of this sort can only help by raising the awareness of enterprise.

Start Up Britain is a new campaign by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. Designed to celebrate, inspire and accelerate enterprise in the UK, it has the full backing of the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and HM Government. This is a response from the private sector to the Government’s call for an ‘enterprise-led’ recovery.  The website is to be a living market place for the wide range of enterprise support that is already available. The aim is not to replace current provision, but to give it a higher profile, and complement existing provision with further offers of support.

StartUp Britain began with 2 platform services: a catalogue of links to web resources, and a bucketload of offers from our corporate supporters. Next steps for extending this approach to the provision of enterprise support and promotion include:

• Mentor Marketplace: Find or become a mentor
• Masterclass Platform: Deliver or sign up for a masterclass
• Pledge matchmaker: Step up to invest resources in other organisations' enterprise initiatives
• Best of the web: a database of StartUp content, apps, videos and case studies
• A calendar of enterprise related events, into which you can suggest your own event, or just keep up to date with what's going on

All the evidence, and all our experience over the years, sometimes working in the most deprived parts of the country, tells us that there is a huge demand for face to face advice. It’s not needed for everyone and it’s not the only answer, but impartial professional advice is the gold standard of business support.

For more information about start-up Britain visit: http://www.startupbritain.org