Emulate region’s entrepreneurs and your business will flourish

Apr 30 2008 By The Journal

ONE of the North East’s top business support organisations is urging would-be entrepreneurs to look to the success of some of the region’s biggest businesses before developing their own plans for enterprise.

Established in 1994, the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) has helped to create more than 6,000 jobs and is currently home to more than 160 businesses.

The complex itself covers a 14-acre site and the range of accommodation includes incubator units and executive offices, as well as bio-science labs and large industrial facilities.

John Anderson, chairman of the North East BIC, said: “The BIC provides a prestigious business location for aspirational small and medium-sized enterprises of any size and supports regionwide initiatives, in addition to accommodating hundreds of businesses of wildly-varied nature and sizes.

“Perhaps more important is our dedicated and committed business support team. Over the years they have provided subjective, logical and practical advice to our clients – some of whom have gone on to become the North East’s flagship entrepreneurs, creating businesses that are sustainable, innovative and suitably different from competitors.”

Some of the North East’s greatest business success stories of recent years have indeed started life at the BIC, their enterprise stimulated and growth nurtured in the supportive environment of Sunderland’s own economic powerhouse.

Leighton is a group of technology and communication companies, numbering among its blue-chip clients such famous names as British Airways, Microsoft, Lloyds TSB, Sir Robert McAlpine and Tesco. The business began life at the North East BIC in the mid-1990s.

Paul Callaghan, Leighton Group chairman, recalled: “We moved into the BIC as a small publishing outfit and found ourselves in a community of like-minded businesses which had a similar sort of interest to us, effectively creating a network of suppliers, partners and customers.

“There was also excellent general support from the BIC itself which took away many of the headaches – from broadband connectivity to a mail service – you would normally have in starting a business. This allowed us to concentrate on our main business.”

Mr Anderson believes that the success of companies like the Leighton Group should prove inspirational to other would-be entrepreneurs in the region.

“The fact that many of the region’s major businesses – Mediaprom, International Acceptance, VisiTech as well as Leighton – all began life at the BIC should prove encouraging to anyone who is in the early stages of running a business, as it is at this time that the inspirational stories of forerunners can really make a difference. I’d encourage anyone in that position to speak to our experienced business advisers and find out how we can help them to stand out in the business world.”

For more information call the business support unit at the North East BIC on (0191) 516-6145 or visit www.ne-bic.co.uk.