Shropshire youngsters urged to start their own business
Youngsters across Shropshire were encouraged to embrace to spirit of recently re-elected President Barack Obama at a special event staged this week to promote self-employment for 18 to 24-year-olds.
Held as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, Young Britain’s Yes You Can exhibition brought some of Shropshire’s leading business brains to the Telford International Centre to show the county’s youngsters how they can avoid rising youth unemployment by actually ‘making a job’ and setting up their own business.
The day-long event included a number of workshops offering potential entrepreneurs an insight into subjects such as business finance, social media, and how to run an online business, while representatives from Telford and Wrekin Council and businesses spanning sectors as diverse as public relations, legal, and accountancy were on hand to offer advice.
Renowned motivational speaker and author David Hyner was also on hand to present the expo’s keynote address, where he highlighted the importance of mentoring and how aspiring entrepreneurs should reach out to those who have already made a success of themselves for advice and support, while former England international footballer turned successful business owner Gary Mabbutt MBE was also on hand to lend his support.
Fay Easton, Co-Founder of Young Britain, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to help under 24 year-olds across Shropshire and the wider West Midlands get into work through self-employment and entrepreneurship, commented: “Yes You Can was a very apt name for our event, because that’s the message we’re telling youngsters across the region – yes you can make a job and launch your own business, yes you can get all the advice, mentoring, and support you need to help on the way, and yes you can get financial support through our StartUp Loans.
“We had a simply sensational turnout, not just from young entrepreneurs simply brimming with exciting new ideas, but some of the self-starters we’ve already managed to assist, and the wider Shropshire business community, which is extremely keen to play its part and help the next generation. One of the most interesting points David Hyner made in his tremendous keynote speech was, in the words of former athlete Kriss Akabusi, that ‘top achievers should be looked into, not up to’, and it’s this spirit of collaboration and mentoring that we’ll help give our youngsters a real chance of success.”
Following on from the hugely successful Yes You Can exhibition, Young Britain also staged a special fundraising event in the evening. Changing Lives NOW! saw almost a hundred guests raise more than £2,500 towards the campaign after an evening of fun and food hosted by BBC Radio Shropshire’s Eric Smith. The event included a set from acclaimed band ‘Bad Press’, as well as a number of short presentations from some of the successful young entrepreneurs Young Britain has already helped start a business.
