Author: Sian Powell
Warwickshire College's Rugby centre was buzzing with business ideas as hoardes of budding entrepreneurs got on board the StartUp bus on Friday.
The double-decker multi-coloured bus visited the centre in Technology Drive offering visitors the chance to get hands-on one-to-one advice on how to set up and run a company from some of the biggest business brains in the area.
The fun, informal event also offered visitors the chance to brainstorm their ideas with their peers, read entrepreneurial guides and access Wi-Fi enabled computers.
The bus delivered information about the £82m StartUp Loans scheme for people aged 18 to 24, announced earlier this year. Visitors could apply for the loan on board the bus and everyone received a free StartUp Loans Kit with a guide on how to start a business and more than £200 of StartUp offers.
Student Catherine Parker, 18, from Brownsover, is studying beauty and wants to set up her own business, from home initially, but building it up organically and visited the bus to see how she could transform her dreams into reality.
She said: "I really want to be independent. My mother runs her own business and she's very successful at it. I want to do really well, like she does - and I don't want to end up working on the tills at Tesco."
She added: "I plan to start from home and start small, and then expand, concentrating on massage rather than holistic treatments."
Charles Edwards, 17, from Cubbington, studies Business BTEC at the Leamington centre. He's set his sights high and is planning to open a restaurant. But he's not thinking about Rubgy town centre - he's decided he wants to open an eaterie on the beach at Miami.
He said: "We go there on holiday every year and it's a great place to put a restaurant. The beaches are always packed and the restaurants are always full."
Mariane Cavalli, Principal and CEO of Warwickshire College, said: "This has been a fantastic experience for everyone who has attended the StartUp Britain event at our Rugby centre.
"I'd like to thank all of the advisors and StartUp Britain for their help and advice. It was really good to see so many people attend and receive information, guidance, hints and tips from some of the biggest business names in the region.
"Over the past decade this country has seen a steady rise in the number of students becoming entrepreneurs and entering self-employment once they have left education and, as a founder member of the Gazelle Colleges Group, we at Warwickshire College are seeking to equip our students with the right knowledge, skills and approaches to succeed in a dynamic and challenging economy. The popularity of this event just shows how strong the desire to innovate and succeed is in young people today."
Emma Jones, co-founder of StartUp Britain said: "We have been absolutely delighted with the way the tour has been going and out Rugby stop at Warwickshire College was no exception.
"We are seeing more and more young people setting up businesses. Research has shown eight out of ten young people think about setting up a business these days as a career path, or a way to turn a hobby into a money-spinning idea.
"Reports suggest this boom in entrepreneurialism is down to the millennial generation grasping both the power of modern technology and the internet.These young people represent the future of business and our economic prosperity - that's why it's so important to offer them support by delivering the message that they can set up a business, there is support out there for them - and that we'll be with them every step of the way, cheering loudly!"
For more information on Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at Warwickshire College visit http://www.warwickshire.ac.uk/
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