…but I got cross last night.
I was at a Global Entrepreneurship Week event put on by the Associate Parliamentary Group for Business and Finance. They staged a panel debate with five successful young entrepreneurs, including Jay Bregman, of eCourier and Natasha Faith of La Diosa; a designer jewellery company, both of whom paid tribute to the support they received from East London Small Business Centre. Also on the panel was Sally Broom of Tripbod, number one in The Times list of new travel websites, who is an enthusiastic ambassador for Furness Enterprise. All three were scholars from the New Entrepreneur Scholarship (NES) programme - a national business support programme for which funding ceased last year.
Of course I was very proud of them. Great role models, and all building award-winning and substantial, sustainable businesses.
All of which makes me so cross that NES is no more. After we and our partners spent years building a programme that works, and networks that deliver, all that capital will be lost. Other people will be spending time and money re-inventing the wheel and trying to fit our tried and trusted methods into the BSSP framework. And at a time when we need entrepreneurs more than ever, there will be at least 1000 fewer opportunities for people to get the advice, training and ongoing support they need to set up business like Jay’s, Natasha’s and Sally’s.
But nothing is forever: take a look at this interesting announcement from Mark Prisk.