MORE aspiring entrepreneurs are joining a campaign to help encourage people to start or grow their businesses in the North East.

Audrey Barton has added her name to the list of business operators to enter the Journal’s 2011 If We Can, You Can Challenge by entering her PR and marketing consultancy, 2B Communications.

Former regional journalist and public relations worker Barton, of Gateshead, will get help to launch her new business from her husband James, who has also worked as a reporter and is currently a press officer at Durham University.

When it became clear that recent public sector budget cuts were going to affect her, Barton decided to take voluntary redundancy from her NHS communications job to pursue her ambition to start her own business.

She said: “My friends, family and colleagues have all been incredibly supportive about the idea to set up a business. It has really given me a confidence boost and made me realise that I am doing the right thing.

“I had been sitting on the idea for the business for a while but getting it up and running has given me a real focus and encouraged me to think about strategic objectives for the future. After spending so long in the planning stages it is quite surreal to have actually launched the business now. It is an exciting feeling.”

Audrey has been very careful to keep costs down in every area of the business during its initial stages. She is fortunate to have friends and contacts with a wealth of knowledge to tap into.

“Our friends have been so good to us, we are lucky to know so many talented creative people in the industry who can help get us started,” she said.

“Starting a business has been an exciting and sometimes frightening journey with so many achievements that have kept me motivated along the way.

”We have discovered a really creative hub of young and dynamic entrepreneurs in Newcastle.”

As part of the Challenge, Barton joins the If We Can, You Can online community to share her experiences with like-minded business owners.