Movin' an' shakin'

Bright start

Imagine the scene. . . you've had an idea, but not just any idea. This one is the next best thing since sliced bread. Where to now? Top of the list would be Scottish Enterprise. One of the first regional development agencies to develop a strong policy towards encouraging business start-ups and entrepreneurship, it continues to find new ways to do just that.

Building upon the success of its original Business Birth Rate Strategy, Business Gateway and Scottish Co-investment Fund, the organisation launched a new 6m venture fund in January. Targeted at innovative start-ups and young businesses operating within the technology, media and telecommunications sector, the Sigma Innovation Fund aims to help create 200 jobs across the east of Scotland. The first companies to benefit from the fund, which takes higher risks than traditional private sector funds, were Dundee-based Securivox (a spin out from the University of Abertay) and SFX Technologies in Rosyth.

The Scottish Executive doesn't just provide financial support though. To help Scottish firms protect and exploit business knowledge and expertise, the Executive has funded a National Intellectual Assets Centre in Glasgow. Boasting a wealth of expertise in the identification, protection and exploitation of Intellectual Assets, such as employee know-how, trade secrets and Intellectual Property, the Centre will help to build Scotland's competitiveness in the modern knowledge economy.

Class performers

Complementing the Government's activities, Scottish academia also provides a wealth of support for budding entrepreneurs. TheHunter Centre for Entrepreneurship at Strathclyde University in particular, is a world-class provider of entrepreneurship teaching. Established in 2000 with a generous endowment from the prominent entrepreneur, Tom Hunter, the Centre uses the latest case study techniques, based on real life business situations, to deliver practical lessons in entrepreneurial success. The Centre's flagship research project is the annual Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report (of which more later).

In recognition of its international standing, the Centre has just co-hosted the world's leading annual entrepreneurship conference. This coup followed hot on the heels of the announcement that one of the world's leading experts in entrepreneurship, Professor Colin Mason, had been lured back to Scotland expressly to take up a post at Strathclyde.

Whilst the Hunter Centre is undoubtedly the largest university-based entrepreneurship centre in Scotland, it's by no means the only one. All thirteen Scottish Universities belong to the Scottish Institute for Enterprise, on top of which there are seven recognised Centres of Entrepreneurship, reaching over 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students. In a groundbreaking initiative, one of those institutions, Edinburgh University, has recently opened its doors to entrepreneurs. Described as an 'incubator without walls', the scheme is designed to break down the barriers between academia and business by enabling promising candidates to benefit from Edinburgh's advanced facilities and expertise.

Join the club

Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely business. So it's good to know that as well as providing the funding and teaching, Scotland also offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to network with like-minded people and to share the experiences and challenges of business.

The Entrepreneurial Exchange is Scotland's leading members' organisation for ambitious, growth-orientated entrepreneurs. Founded in 1994 as part of the Scottish Enterprise Business Birth Rate Strategy, the Exchange now boasts over 400 members and a Hall of Fame that reads like a 'Who's Who of Success': Sir Richard Branson, Sir Tom Farmer CBE, Tom Hunter, Brian Souter, Ann Gloag, Arnold Clark. . . Good company indeed!

Women into Business

Children may be the next great hope, but it's women entrepreneurs who represent one of the fastest growing business segments within the UK. Recent figures show that more and more women are choosing to become entrepreneurs, and there are more resources than ever before to help them.

Run by the Business Gateway, the Women into Business initiative provides all the information, support and motivation potential businesswomen could want to help them develop their business ideas and set up a successful business. The initiative features a Networking programme of seminars and advice; a Micro-Credit Programme (low cost flexible loans and business support); Mentoring; and the BIG (Business Investment for Growth) programme, providing customised training and support.

Entrepreneurship should know no bounds of course, so it's encouraging to see that last October, DEN (the Disabled Entrepreneurs Network) extended its reach into Scotland. Information on training, good practice and small business management specifically geared towards people with disabilities in Scotland is now available from Business Gateway.