Sign up to better business

Apr 30 2008 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

SCORES of would-be entrepreneurs have been quick to sign up for the Evening Gazette-backed campaign to inspire people of all ages to start their own business.

Almost 100 people have registered for the If We Can, You Can challenge.

Organisers have been inundated with applications from entrants who are turning their talent to start and develop businesses in sectors from web shoe design to burlesque underwear, the study of feet and authentic Italian coffee.

They are all featured on a new virtual map - The Big Picture - standing shoulder to shoulder with the region’s established entrepreneurs, bringing the North-east’s entrepreneurial spirit together in one community.

The graphic, which features entrepreneurs who have registered on www.Ifwecanyoucan.co.uk, the campaign website, is the latest tool in the campaign funded by regional development agency One North East and driven by the Entrepreneurs Forum to boost the entrepreneurial culture across the region.

Carole Beverley, chief executive of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum said: “We have been overwhelmed with the response the challenge has triggered showing the expanse of talent we have so far discovered across the region.

“It is a pretty even split between men and women, which is fantastic.

“There is real passion and enthusiasm coming through in the entries and it is a solid platform on which we can build.

“To have this community already reaching close to 200 entrepreneurs online in one month has got to be a really positive sign.”

Visitors to www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk can view The Big Picture to see the next generation of entrepreneurs plotted across the virtual map only weeks after the March launch of the campaign.

The If We Can You Can campaign offers the chance for two Gazette readers to enter the running for a bespoke business support package worth £2,000, a monthly face-to-face clinic for six months with the region’s leading businessmen and women, and an iPhone.

Winners and finalists will enjoy a sponsored place at the Entrepreneurs Forum annual conference in May, worth £250.

For entry details, log on to www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk or pick up an entry form from the Gazette’s offices in Borough Road, Middlesbrough. Deadline for entries is May 5.