Startup Support UK - Organisations That Can Help You Get Started: Part 1

by Startacus Admin

The idea of starting a business can be quite daunting. You may be wondering where to start or how to go about making that first important step.

If you’re one of those people, you’re in luck, as we have taken the time to compile a list of some of the key organisations that we consider a great help for those out there who want to step into and explore the world of business.

Whether you need help with funding, general startup support, reaching the right audience or need to develop the skills required to start your career as an entrepreneur, every single one of the organisations is unique and extremely beneficial.

So without further ado, check out part one of our “Startup Support UK - Organisations That Can Help you get started” list. It’s by no means a definitive list so do feel free to add a comment on any others. Check out part two and three to see if they're included! 

The Prince’s Trust

The Prince’s Trust supports 13 to 30 year olds who are unemployed, educational underachievers, are in or leaving care or who are ex-offenders. They aim to give young people the financial and practical support they need in order to get their lives on track. The Prince’s Trust Enterprise programme is specifically targeted at young people between the ages of 18-30 who wish to start a business. It is delivered throughout the UK and helps young people explore and test out business ideas as well as helping them get businesses off the ground. Financial and mentoring support is offered to all young people who take part. If you are interested in finding out more about The Prince’s Trust Enterprise programmes where you are, then check out their website.

Young Enterprise

Young Enterprise is the UK’S largest business and enterprise education charity. They offer various different programmes for every year of education, ranging from the age of 4 to 25. The aim of Young Enterprise is to “inspire and equip young people to learn and succeed through enterprise.” Ultimately, they believe that the best way to learn is by doing; experience is key. Since its establishment, 3.8 million young people within the UK have taken part in the programme. Because of this, a staggering one million have run a business for a year on Young Enterprise’s Company Programme.
They make an effort to focus on other ways of learning – such as teamwork and punctuality as they believe that too much focus on academics and exam results will mean that young people will lose confidence in what they are capable of.


You can find out more about the support they offer by visiting their website. 

Or you can check out our recent interview with the CEO of Young Enterprise Northern Ireland.


Startup Loans

If you have a brand new business or are just about to launch your startup, Startup Loans are here to offer you the financial help you need in order to get your business off of the ground. As well as that, they will provide you with free business planning before charging you money in order to ensure that you are in the best position to receive funding. If you opt for a loan, once you receive it you will be given a personal mentor who is there to keep you on the right track, as well as a free business course which will allow you to develop your skills.

Unfortunately as the job market in the U.K is still finding its feet, self-employment is becoming a more feasible career option than it was perhaps pre-recession. In short, Startup Loans is here to help support people with innovative business ideas but no access to finance. They want to help you make the most out of your business and ensure that you are on the road to success! 

Visit their website here to find out how you can finance your business!

PRIME

The Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise is on a mission to dispel the myth that in order to become a successful entrepreneur you must be young and tech savvy. Nowadays, it pays to be proactive and take initiative. People are living longer, and most people either can’t afford to stop working or simply don’t want to and unfortunately remaining in employment when over the age of 50 isn’t always easy. However, Prime aim to help those who are over 50 and facing unemployment or redundancy by giving them the help they need in order to explore the possibility self-employment. Since 1999 they have helped over 28,000 of the UK’s over 50s tackle self employment. Whether you’re pre-start up or already up and running, PRIME offers various different business events across the UK in order to help you make the most out of your business, you can take at what they offer here.

You might also like to check out our interviews with Janet Morgan and Bob Pembrook, both of who have recieved significant support for PRIME whilst setting up their businesses.

Centre of Entrepreneurs

The Centre of Entrepreneurs is an independent organisation chaired by Luke Johnson, Financial Times columnist and Entrepreneur. The centre aims to spread positivity and promotes the role of entrepreneurs. They believe that the role of entrepreneurs everywhere is being overlooked and not represented enough and they want to be an advocate for entrepreneurs as they play a crucial role in job creation.

They regularly undertake research in order to improve the public’s perception of entrepreneurs. They want to encourage people who want to start their own business while also creating an environment where it is as easy as possible to do so.

If you’re a budding entrepreneur who wishes to take the plunge, the centre is perfect for you as they run a lot of different public events throughout the year to help you on your journey. As well as that, they work with the media in order to put a positive spin on the portrayal of entrepreneurs, they research how large firms can support them and connect entrepreneurs of all demographics and areas with policy makers – because entrepreneurs every need a voice, too! Oh, and they also look after Startup Britain too - check them out too. If you’re interested in getting involved or simply wish to find out more, you can email the centre at info@centreforentrepreneurs.org or you can visit their website, where you can find a list of events and campaigns.

Self Plug!  It was the Centre for Entrepreneurs, alongside Maserati that recently named Startacus co-founder Alastair Cameron as one of the Maserati 100, a group of successful UK-based entrepreneurs who are giving back to the next generation of startups!

Tech City

Much like the other organisations that we have discussed so far, Tech City believe that the UK is one of the best places to start your own business. However, they specialise specifically in digital business. They aim to be the voice of digital entrepreneurs and they are happy to help out businesses that are currently in any stage of development. So, if you have a tech savvy idea in mind and are looking for the right support, these are the guys for you.

They have been a fantastic accelerator for digital business, and are involved with a lot of different organisations. For example, they have created the Digital Business Academy which is in partnership with various different educational institutions and business organisations in order to give students the skills they need to succeed in the world of digital business. To do this, they offer 8 courses which allow students to gain insight to such things as branding, marketing and finance.

If you need a little help and a push in the right direction, you can visit Tech City’s website here, or if you’re interested to see what courses the Digital Academy offer, you can do so here


There you have it, some key organisations to help inspire you and help along the way! We hope that you all learned something from it, don’t be afraid to drop us a line on Facebook, comment below,Tweet or email us with your thoughts, and of course if you’ve any other suggestions, we’re all ears, and we look forward to returning next week with part two...

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Published on: 16th March 2015