Member Article

Bolton farm to help grow new businesses

National enterprise campaign StartUp Britain is set to use a farm in Bolton to provide specific support to rural areas on developing new businesses and support for diversification to help boost the number of businesses started in the UK to a record 500,000 this year.

The campaign’s double decker bus will be at The Wellbeing Farm in Edgworth, Bolton, filled with start-up experts and business champions ready to deliver free help and support to the growing number of people who are becoming entrepreneurs in rural areas.

Start-up and micro businesses account for 95% of all British businesses, provide employment for 7.8 million people and contribute 20% of private sector turnover.

StartUp Britain co-founder Emma Jones said: “Since we launched StartUp Britain two years ago, we’ve seen record numbers of people starting businesses and creating their own value in the UK.

“By bringing our bus to a rural area in Bolton, we want to give rural areas the confidence to find their inner entrepreneur – and provide a boost to their own local economy.”

In his report Growing Your Business, Enterprise Adviser Lord Young said: “Outside assistance has a strong and positive impact on the growth of a small business. However, much more needs to be done to encourage firms to invest in their own performance. As well as an overall mood of confidence in the economy, firms need to build confidence in their own skills.”

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “The StartUp Britain bus will bring direct advice to budding entrepreneurs across the country. Its advisers can tell you how to get a Start-Up Loan, or how to find out about mentoring.”

Celia Gaze MD at The Wellbeing Farm said: “It is great that StartUp Britain have taken the rural economy into account when deciding where to send the Startup Britain Bus. Being a new business which only started trading in March 2013, I am hoping that it will encourage farmers and those living in rural areas to consider becoming rural entrepreneurs”.

StartUp Britain campaign is supported by top firms, including Intuit, PayPal and BT – and this year it has the backing of the Department for Business, Industry and Skills.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .