PRIME business club

The Open Day programme is the biggest government business support road show, designed to provide free information and support to businesses, through a series of exhibitions across the country.

It is organised by HM Revenue and Customs, who invite local organisations and representatives of national bodies such as PRIME that can provide support and advice to local businesses. The organisations chosen all operate on an “other than for profit” i.e. non-commercial basis.

At this free event you will have access to a full team of experts who provide advice and technical support on a range of subjects, covering every stage of your business from start-up, through growth and expansion to pension arrangements when you retire. Free seminars cover topics such as meeting government regulations, funding, marketing and enhancing your business through new technology.

Click on the link below to find out more and to book your place.

Website Link: http://www.businessadviceday.gov.uk/events/

Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce is running a series of free evening workshops about self-employment during May. Each event is about a different topic - you can go to any or all of them.

• Is self employment right for you? 6 May
• Ideas generation Thursday 7 May
• Starting your own business Tuesday 12 May
• Starting your own consultancy Thursday 14 May
• Self employment: tax, pension and benefit implications Tuesday 19 May
• e-marketing Thursday 21 May 2009

To book or find out further information call Rebecca Pilch at Edinburgh Chamber (not PRIME) on 0131 221 3190 or email rebecca.pilch@edinburghchamber.co.uk

Note: A chamber of commerce is a voluntary association of local businesses in a particular area. Its activities will generally include lobbying, training and various kinds of business networking event. Legally their status varies. The most ancient ones, including the Edinburgh Chamber, have royal charters.

Some of them are pretty substantial organisations. The Edinburgh Chamber claims over 2,000 members and has more than 50 staff. It puts on many other events throughout the year, which are open to non-members. Generally there’s a fee. Here’s the Edinburgh Chamber’s full event list

“This free event is brought to you by HM Revenue & Customs working with the Scottish Executive. We also work with a number of other partners: the Health and Safety Executive, The Patent Office, Environment Agency, Age Positive, Office of Fair Trading, Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, The Pensions Regulator, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and PRIME.”

At the event you will have access to a full team of experts who provide advice and technical support on a range of subjects, covering every stage of your business from start-up, through growth and expansion to pension arrangements when you retire. Free seminars cover topics such as meeting government regulations, funding, marketing and enhancing your business through new technology.

Click on the link below to find out more and to book your place.

Website Link: www.businessadviceday.gov.uk

Despite the awful headline “Silver start-ups for our golden oldies” (yuk) this article from The Scotsman contains two interesting case studies of start-up firms built on their owners’ previous experience.
Jack Hamilton’s firm maintains floating buoys and other navigational aids around the UK, and now employs 15 people. Jack has yeas of experience in the field. “When I got to 61, my son Billy had finished his gap year and was wondering what to do with himself. That’s when we decided to set up an agency for marine aids to navigation.”
May Marcus and Julie McTaggart, both in their 50s, set up Premier Car Check within a month of being made redundant. Both women had considerable experience of vehicle checking. Their service enables car buyers to find out if there are problems about their prospective purchase - for example if money is owed on it or if it’s been reported as stolen.

SCOTLAND is the UK’s most entrepreneurial region accirding to a study for UBS Wealth Management reported in The Scotsman newspaper. Scotland’s claim is based on the success Scottish firms have had on attracting venture capital. For every one million inhabitants London has 53 venture-backed companies - but Scotland has 54.