ENTREPRENEURS NEWS | IN BRIEF
YOUNG PEOPLE WANT TO BE ENTREPRENEURS
Eight in ten young people want to become entrepreneurs. Britain is brimming with future entrepreneurs, a new study into young people’s ambitions has concluded. According to the survey of 2,000 youngsters, commissioned to support the Ambition AXA Awards, more than three-quarters of 11 to 18-year-olds (77 per cent) say they would like to start their own business in the future. And around half (47 per cent) say that they have always wanted to be their own boss. Online or digital businesses and IT are among the most popular areas of business interest for young Brits, with more than one in five (22 per cent) saying this is where they intend to pursue their ambitions.
RISING COSTS CRIPPLING FIRMS
Small firms are trapped in a vice of rising business costs, which is squeezing margins, choking growth and threatening their survival, according to a major new study by Make It Cheaper and the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR). The research shows that overheads have risen by almost a quarter over the past five years, and more than half (55 per cent) of small business owners now warn that their company will simply not survive much longer if costs continue to rise at current rates. Jonathan Elliott of Make It Cheaper says: “Rapid cost increases are placing the survival of small companies in jeopardy, and dampening the entrepreneurial spirit so crucial to economic recovery.”
ENTREPRENEUR COUNTRY CONFERENCE
Entrepreneur Country has just launched a new conference, Accelerate 2011, taking place on 27 September this year at the Royal Institution of Great Britain. The theme is how entrepreneurs can capitalise on the current economic and technological landscapes to make their businesses smarter and more relevant for a globally competitive market. Confirmed speakers include Julie Meyer, the founder of Entrepreneur Country and Ariadne Capital, Austin Healey, the former England international rugby player and investor and Tim Levene of Augmentum Capital. Go to www.entrepreneurcountry.net for more information.