PRIME business club

Date: Tuesday 4th March 2008, 10am to 4pm

Venue: Samworth Centre at St. Mary’s, 8 Burton Street, Melton Mowbray. Leicestershire, LE13 1AE

Status: PRIME partner event

First step to freedom: how to go self-employed and start your own business

If you’re over 45, perhaps facing redundancy, needing a change, wanting a chance to retrain, start your own business or become self-employed - this one day event is for you.

PRIME, in partnership with Welland Wise, is holding a FREE DROP-IN event at the Samworth Centre, Melton Mowbray. Click for a location map.

Printable event flyer

You’ll be able to get information and advice on:

IT skills
Business training
One-to-one business coaching
Raising finance

The day also includes a personal development workshop (1.30 to 3pm) called “Bring out the brilliance in you“, and a free buffet lunch.

FURTHER DETAILS AND WORKSHOP BOOKINGS
Call Oliver Chapman on 01476 531027
Welland Enterprise Agency - The Crewyards, Cringle Road, Stoke Rochford, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG33 5EF
Telephone 0845 050 1050
Fax: 0845 050 1650
email businesslink@wellent.co.uk

The Welland Enterprise Agency is delivering this Business Link Service, funded by East Midlands Development Agency

Most small business owners would reject the offers made on TV’s Dragons’ Den, according to a poll by accounting software firm Kashflow. Almost two-thirds of the firms participating felt they could get a better deal elsewhere. The Dragons typically offer cash in return for taking a hefty equity stake.

The research revealed that business owners do not believe that the deals offered by the five Dragons represent good value for money. Instead they would turn to a bank in the expectation of getting a more reasonable rate on a loan, or private backers in the hope of retaining a larger percentage of their own business in an equity deal.

Of those who would take the offer, the most popular reason was to benefit from the experience of the Dragons, followed by the opportunity to grow fast and the PR benefits.

Full story

Date: Wednesday 27th Feb 2008

Time: 9:30am to 4:00pm

Venue: Knebworth House, Knebworth, near Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG3 6PY

Status: PRIME partner event

People buy from people, so learning to network effectively can be a huge help to many types of business - because it results in more sales.

This all-day course, run by Everywoman, is free to women living or working in the East of England. The standard fee for this workshop is usually £295, but Everywoman has secured funding from Exemplas (which operates the government’s Business Link service in the region) so on this occasion there is no charge.

Be sure to book your place early as the course is likely to fill up quickly. You can do this directly on the Everywoman web site, or by ringing 0870 746 1800 (i.e. Everywoman not PRIME).

Location details

UPDATE: Extra
Interviews with Sir Alan Sugar, Professor Colin Gray and Laurie South of PRIME.

On Friday the 8th of February 2008 at 7pm BBC 2 is showing “Too Young to Retire” - a special edition of The Money Programme about people who are building successful businesses in their 60s and 70s.

One of the older entrepreneurs featured is chartered accountant Dick Pyle, who set up a truffle farm in France using an innovative adopt-a-truffle-tree business model. Customers pay £149 per tree - and then get all the produce from it. You can also visit your tree, or give trees as presents. He was just coming up to 60 and about to retire when he came up with this scheme.

Presenter Valerie Singleton also talks to sisters Penny Walker and Annabel Rhodes, who set up their own natural cosmetics business Rhodes to Heaven in their sixties. They are shown taking their products to the next stage, selling them into an upmarket High Street chain.

From the BBC press release:

Former Money Programme presenter Valerie Singleton sets out on a journey around Britain to meet some of the oldest entrepreneurs in Britain. She examines if age is a hindrance or help to a new business career and hears the experiences of those men and women who have decided it’s never too late to start.

Statistics show that those who are over fifty and find themselves out of work have only a one in ten chance of being re-employed. So the option of starting up on your own is very attractive and may even be essential.

Valerie Singleton meets a variety of entrepreneurs who are finding success in new fields. There are the sisters in their sixties who started a range of organic beauty products and are working to get high street distribution for them. Then there is the illustrator who has built up a highly successful online greeting card business. There is also the sky-diving septuagenarian who has set up a children’s charity. Finally she meets a retired PR executive who is now trading in truffles.

She also seeks the advice of the UK’s oldest employee and employer - who are both still going strong despite being over one hundred years old.

With expert input on what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur from “The Apprentice” star Sir Alan Sugar, and Peter Jones from Dragons’ Den the programme examines just what are the advantages and disadvantages in being an older entrepreneur.

Date: Thursday 7 Feb 2008

Time: 2pm - pm

Venue: Granville Plus Centre, Granville Road, Kilburn, London NW6 2BX

Status: PRIME exhibiting

PRIME has a small stand at this local enterprise show, and is giving a talk. The free event boasts a score of exhibititors you can talk to about business, employment and training, and a programme of seminars during the afternoon. Details here.

It’s a drop-in event so you can just turn up on the day. Map and directions. Parking is available on four-hour meters.