Need help to start up business?

Apr 12 2010 by Evening Gazette

A NEW Middlesbrough Council-backed project to encourage people to start their own business holds a series of free events in the town this week.

Middlesbrough Enterprise Gateway (MEG) is being delivered by private skills firm A4E, which started life during the mass redundancies among Sheffield steelworkers 20 years ago, retraining redundant workers and finding new jobs.

Now working under the shadow of the Teesside Cast Products mothballing in Redcar, it is encouraging self-employment and small business start ups with one-to-one coaching.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are, what experience you have, what issues or problems you face, everyone has different reasons for considering creating their own job by starting a business,” said A4E’s Rachel Cook.

“We’d love to meet people who have ever considered self-employment but simply haven’t had the confidence to take it further.

“We’d also like to talk to anyone who has a rough idea for a business but hasn’t got very far with it.”

Two locally-based MEG coaches - Maureen Ovington and Brenda Lodge-Metcalfe - will work with candidates who turn up for advice at three events, running from tomorrow until Thursday at the Meath Street Resource Centre, Berwick Hill Centre and Sutton Centre.

MEGA Week will culminate in a special event for local councillors, Business Link and other support agencies including West Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Trust (WMNT), which runs the You Sell scheme, a community initiative that encourages entry level entrepreneurship.

“It represents an ideal way for people to get to grips with the idea of self-employment,” said Rachel. “You Sell is ingenious: it brings local people together and empowers them to earn money.

“MEG support and expertise doesn’t cost a penny. Self-employment can be extremely daunting, but MEG is the very best place to start because we are so enthusiastic about enterprise and are committed to helping local people make a positive change to their lives.”