Caerphilly Assembly Candidate, Owen Meredith, is encouraging local businesses to think about their future and enter the “Take One Small Step” competition.
The competition is being run for a second year by Barclays Bank, who will provide a year’s support and coaching to nine regional businesses or individuals with the best business ideas. Winners will cash in with a £50,000 prize to accompany the free support and advice to bring their ideas to life.
This year Barclays have given a £450,000 cash injection to the competition. Barclays Managing Director, Steve Cooper, commented on the openness of Take One Small Step. Mr Cooper said:
“It changes lives. The brief is broad – the idea could be a lifelong ambition or a recent brainwave. It could be a personal experience or just a dream. This competition is a great opportunity.”
Free business seminars will be held across Britain, focusing on improving online skills and business online.
Mr Meredith said:
“This is a great opportunity for Caerphilly. There are lots of people out there with great business ideas who just need this kind of support and encouragement to get them off the ground. With our employment rate at just 59% in Caerphilly, we need people with the ideas to create new businesses and jobs to come forward and do so – competitions like this can help us to create the enterprising economy Caerphilly desperately needs.
“Existing businesses with bold plans and start ups who have little more than an idea should enter this completion. I encourage anyone who has ever considered making it on their own to take one small step towards that dream and enter this competition.”
A judging panel will shortlist 3 entries from each region which will then be subject to a public vote.
Last year’s winner in the ‘Wales and the West’ Region was Bev Chittem of the Dragon Fly Project. She commended the support given to winners, saying, “The professional yet friendly support from our bank manager has also been hugely appreciated.”
She went on to encourage anyone considering applying to do so, “Go to the seminar near you. I found it very inspiring. It will focus your thinking and provide a format that will allow you to harness all the exciting ideas whizzing around your head. Fill in the application and go for it.”
A FREE Boosting Business Online seminar will take place on Wednesday 13th April at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport. You can register online via https://www.takeonesmallstep.co.uk/seminars. Competition entries must be received by April 27th April 2011.
For full details and entry forms go to www.takeonesmallstep.co.uk.
