Business in You: Would-be entrepreneurs get help from government campaign
CBI supports BIS campaign to promote growth, encouraging businesses and entrepreneurs to start their own businesses
There are some great inspirational success stories across the UK of businesses that have started up and grown into successful local, national and international companies. We want people to follow their example, realise their own business potential and help make 2012 the year of enterprise
- Business and enterprise minister, Mark Prisk
The CBI is backing a campaign launched today by the government to encourage people to start their own business - and to provide support for those who take the plunge.
Business in You is a portal of advice and help available through a range of sources, both government-funded and private sector, to would-be entrepreneurs.
The prime minister, David Cameron, said small businesses were beneficial to the economy and to the people who run them.
"Small businesses and entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of the British economy and I am determined that we, working with the private sector, do everything we can to help them to start up and to grow in 2012," he said.
"I want to encourage people to go for it and make this the year of enterprise – whether that is fulfilling their dream of starting a new business or taking the leap to grow their business, to employ more staff, or to start exporting."
Tim Bradshaw, the CBI head of enterprise and innovation, said: "It is essential that we rebalance our economy and achieve more sustainable growth driven by business investment and trade.
"Growth could come from all sectors and sizes of businesses, but we think there is a particular opportunity to grow smaller businesses through to mid-sized and beyond. This campaign shows the government is working with business and entrepreneurs to support growth, providing advice and encouragement to take forward new business ideas."
Mark Prisk, the business and enterprise minister, said the campaign would make setting up a business less imposing.
"There are some great inspirational success stories across the UK of businesses that have started up and grown into successful local, national and international companies," he said.
"We want people to follow their example, realise their own business potential and help make 2012 the year of enterprise.
"I know that starting and growing your own business can be a daunting task, but there is help available to potential entrepreneurs who have the desire to take their ideas forward. The Government is providing more opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to either start or grow their business, which in turn will help boost the UK economy."
To support the campaign, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, provided case studies of entrepreneurs who had succeeded in building up their own businesses.
They included Wendy Tan-White, pictured top left, who set up website builder Moonfruit; Jennifer Okpapi, centre, the founder of African cookery school Akhaya; Richard Moross, of business card firm Moo.com; and Jamal Edwards, featured in the video above, the creator of youth media company SBTV.