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Has an innovative approach propelled your business to the fore?

December 7, 2009 By Emily Leary Leave a Comment

Follow footprints

Does your company have a new and original approach to an established market? Or has innovation in your sector opened up new opportunities for you? If so, you could be eligible for a place on the 2009 Startups 100.

Companies wishing to enter to must be privately owned, UK based, and must not have been trading before January 2007. The list of 2009 winners will be made public in the New Year.

Entry is via email, with the list of questions available on the Startups.co.uk website.

Entries must be completed and submitted by 10am on Monday 7th December.

Please visit The Startups 100 page on Startups.co.uk for further information.

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Get involved in Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009

October 20, 2009 By Emily Leary Leave a Comment

Sapling

Global Entrepreneurship Week is an international celebration of enterprise and talent amongst business people in 77 countries, taking place from Monday 16th to Sunday 22nd November in 2009.

Originally launched in 2004 as the UK’s Enterprise Week, in recent years it has been absorbed into a worldwide movement aiming to foster new possibilities for people of all ages around the globe by spotlighting their work and encouraging confidence and collaboration.

The UK saw 640,000 people attend events as part of the celebration last year, and the initiative has received glowing testimonial from Lord Sugar and Gordon Brown.

Among this year’s planned activities:

  • The Make Your Mark Challenge on 16th November is a one-day enterprise challenge, designed to encourage entrepreneurial endeavour among school and college students.
  • Women’s Enterprise Day on 18th November will highlight the contribution of female entrepreneurs in an effort to encourage more to make their business dreams a reality.
  • Events on 19th November will supports the theme of Social Enterprise, with the spotlight on businesses that aim to improve social or environmental factors.
  • The 20th November will see the first Home Enterprise Day, which looks to inspire more people to start running businesses from their own homes by exploring the efforts of those who’ve managed to succeed doing just that.

For more information, visit Global Entrepreneurship Week (UK).

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Five more business resources on Twitter

July 17, 2009 By Emily Leary Leave a Comment

Library of books

Last week, I looked at five Twitter accounts associated with useful business resources.

This week I’m covering five more Twitter accounts offering oodles of great content for business owners and managers:

  • @growingbusiness – This is the feed for Growing Business magazine, one of the highest circulation publications for entrepreneurs. The magazine also runs a great column by @olibarrett.
  • @startupsfeed – Follow this account to make sure you don’t miss any of the inspirational news and advice published on Startups.co.uk. A nice mix of news, profiles, webinars and blogs.
  • @newbusinessmag – This account post links to news and advice features published on newbusiness.co.uk, the website for New Business Magazine. Plenty of advice from a huge range of experts can be found on the site.
  • @Real_Business – The chatty Twitter face of Real Business magazine. Follow to keep up with business news, comment and events posted on the site. Lots of comment on current events coming direct from the feed too.
  • @e_nation – Enterprise Nation is aimed at anyone who is starting or growing a home business. Follow for links to all the latest advice on the site and this account will also point you in the direction of great resources elsewhere on the web.

That’s it. Next week I’ll cover Twitter accounts offering marketing advice.

Update: Twitter now offers its own marketing and customer service ‘how-to’ guide for businesses. It takes you through the basics, including key Twitter lingo, and offers tips on best practice. There are also case studies so you can learn how some big brands have leveraged the power of Twitter. Check out the Twitter101 guide for more information.

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Resources for start-ups and small businesses

July 10, 2009 By Emily Leary Leave a Comment

Stack of resources

There are lots of really useful business resources active on Twitter, so here are five accounts I think you should follow, with five more to come next week:

  • @SmartaHQ – Aimed at start-ups and small businesses. Follow this account to be the first to hear about interviews with entrepreneurial legends such as Doug Richard and Theo Paphitis.
  • @LaunchLab – “Published by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs”. Lots of advice and news for every aspect of small business.
  • @cmypitch – Plenty of business news and advice on this account. You can also visit the site to pitch to business angels for funding.
  • @StartUpDonut – An extremely helpful set of people lurk behind the Donut empire. Follow this account for start-up advice and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
  • @BusinessZone – Lots of guidance and news for entrepreneurs here. Following this account will also ensure you don’t miss out on the regular live webchats that happen over on the site.

That’s it. More next week.

Update: Twitter now offers its own marketing and customer service ‘how-to’ guide for businesses. It takes you through the basics, including key Twitter lingo, and offers tips on best practice. There are also case studies so you can learn how some big brands have leveraged the power of Twitter. Check out the Twitter101 guide for more information.

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Have you beaten the odds in Yorkshire or the Humber?

May 4, 2009 By Emily Leary Leave a Comment

Rowing teamwork

Some individuals need to overcome more challenging circumstances than others to succeed in starting up their businesses.

If you run a small or medium sized business in the Yorkshire or Humber area, you might want to enter the Biz Awards 2009.

With a £4,000 prize fund on offer, the awards offer business owners to chance to win recognition for overcoming barriers like lack of funding or personal injury.

There are five categories open for entry:

  • Business of the Year Award
  • Enterprise through Innovation Award
  • Fastest Growing Business Award
  • Enterprise in the Community Award
  • Best New Start Award

Entry forms can be downloaded from Biz Awards 2009, and must be returned by email before Wednesday 6th May 2009. The awards are free to enter.

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Start-ups, there’s extra time to shine

April 26, 2009 By Emily Leary Leave a Comment

Star award red and gold

The closing date for entries for the HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards 2009 has been extended to 4th May.

The awards are open to any UK business under three years old and there is no fee to enter.

Take a look at Are you a start-up star? for more information.

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Tell Barclays how your start-up has changed your life

April 2, 2009 By Emily Leary Leave a Comment

Jumping

Has setting up your own business significantly improved the quality of your life? If so, Barclays want to hear from you.

The Barclays Trading Places Awards 2009 celebrate the achievements of people who have triumphed over adversity to start a business that has turned their life around.

To qualify, entrants must detail the personal growth they have experienced as a result of setting up their own business, and illustrate how this has helped them put their life back in order. For example, it may have been instrumental in helping them beat an addiction or overcome a debilitating injury.

The awards are open to any company registered in the UK or Ireland which has an annual turnover of below £1 million, and which has been trading for less than three years.

In addition to the main award, three new categories have been introduced:

  • Triumph over Disability Award
  • Success after Unemployment Award
  • Spirit of Inspiration Award

Entry is free and the deadline for applications is 22nd May. Eleven finalists will then be selected to attend an awards ceremony in London on 13th October, where the category winners and Barclays Trading Places Winner 2009 will be announced.

Each finalists will be awarded computer software packages worth £2,000, with £5,000 in cash going to each of the category winners.

For more information, visit the Barclays Trading Places Awards.

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Would 10,000 GBP help unleash your business idea?

April 2, 2009 By Emily Leary Leave a Comment

Electric spark wire

Winweb, the makers of OnlineOffice, are calling for anyone with a start-up idea or existing business to submit their details to the Business ’09 Competition for the chance to win cash to help make their venture a success.

Launched on November 17th 2008 during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2008, the competition is set to help one entrepreneur start or grow their business with a cash injection of £10,000.

You have until 11.59pm on 1st October to send in your entries, after which time, a panel of business experts (including LaunchLab.co.uk founder Dan Matthews and Enterprise Nation founder Emma Jones) will short-list the 25 best ideas.

The shortlist will then go up for the public vote from 15th October, with the winner announced in November during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009.

Visit the WinWeb Blog or The Small Business Blog for more information.

Update: the deadline for entries has been extended to 31st October 2009 with the shortlist revealed after 15th November.

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Are you a start-up star?

March 31, 2009 By Emily Leary 1 Comment

Star award red and gold

The ninth annual HSBC Start-Up Stars awards celebrate initiative and dedication among UK small business owners.

In addition to the main Start-Up Star award, which recognises overall business achievement, this year sees the introduction of three new awards designed to reward international reach, environmental achievement and graduate entrepreneurship.

The new HSBC Start-Up Stars categories are:

  • The Start-Up Star International Award – for businesses that have expanded into international markets
  • The Start-Up Star Green Award – for businesses driven by environmental issues
  • The Start-Up Star Graduate Award – for university students and recent post-graduates (permits entries from businesses that are not yet actively trading)

The winner of the main award will take away:

  • £25,000 cash
  • £5,000 of Google advertising
  • Free consultancy at Google’s UK headquarters

The winners of the three new awards will each scoop:

  • £10,000 cash
  • £2,000 of Google advertising
  • Free consultancy at Google’s UK headquarters

The HSBC Start-Up Stars awards are open to any UK business that is not more than three years old. Entries must be submitted online by Monday 27th April and there is no fee to enter.

Update: The deadline for entries has been extended to 4th May 2009.

Visit HSBC Start-Up Stars for more information.

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