Vistaprint teams with The Prince's Trust to help young entrepreneurs set up businesses

Vistaprint has become an Official Patron of UK charity, The Prince’s Trust, to provide funding and support to the charity’s Enterprise programme helping young people start their own businesses.

This scheme is for those aged 18-30, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, for those who may be unemployed or are working less than 16 hours per week. The Enterprise gives them access to week-long workshops, startup loans and mentoring courses.

Vistaprint is to provide a variety of activities to support such people, which have been designed to help up to 90 people become successful in key marketing skills, branding and pitching.

Oliver Harcourt, head of Vistaprint UK, said: “As a company dedicated to supporting micro and small business owners globally, we share The Prince’s Trust’s vision that everyone should have the opportunity to become a business owner.

“I’ve been inspired by the ideas, determination and passion of the young people I’ve met through the Enterprise programme. We’re delighted to be working with The Trust to boost young entrepreneurship in the UK.”

In addition, over 200 young South of England entrepreneurs selected for The Prince’s Trust’s ‘Will it Work Grant’ will receive their first set of business cards at no cost. The three-year survival rate of Trust-supported businesses is 72.5 per cent compared with a national average of 60.5 per cent.

Dermot Finch, Prince’s Trust’s director for the South of England, commented: “Starting a business can help young people take back control of their lives… Thanks to our new base at Queen’s Park Rangers Football Club, [the company] is working to reach more young people in West London.

“We are delighted to have support from Vistaprint and to be able to tap into their experience of working with SMEs in the UK.”

With the Enterprise programme, Tskenya-Sarah Frazer has been able to launch a gender-neutral brand that specialises in niche-sized shoes. She said: “On a personal level, one of my key takeaways from the Enterprise programme was trust.

“Through meeting other young entrepreneurs and talking about my business, I now trust my own ideas and am happy to share them more widely… The most uplifting thing is having someone there who is rooting for you.”