Member Article

Budding entrepreneurs quiz media experts as Enterprise Hub celebrates 500 start-ups

Over 100 Liverpool entrepreneurs have quizzed a panel of media experts on how to get the best exposure for their business.

The event, held at Liverpool’s Central Library, was organised by city centre-based social enterprise The Women’s Organisation to celebrate its support for 500 business start-ups, linked to the Enterprise Hub programme.

The latest entrepreneurs in the Liverpool City Region were invited to the ‘Meet the Media’ evening, chaired by The Women’s Organisation co-founder and chief executive, Maggie O’Carroll.

Panelists included Tony McDonough of YB News, TV and print journalist Brigid Benson, Copy Media, an agency created by former Liverpool ECHO journalists Dawn Collinson and Jane Tansley, and BBC Radio Merseyside’s Jimmy McCracken.

Maggie O’Carroll, Chief Executive of The Women’s Organisation, said: ’The Meet the Media event was a fantastic success.

“It was a great opportunity for some of the individuals, who have started their own businesses after accessing support through Enterprise Hub, to gain expert and insider knowledge from a panel of our city’s media professionals.

“Enterprise Hub is celebrating having supported 500 start-up businesses since our inception and we are now looking forward to the future and helping more individuals across the Liverpool City Region through our extensive programme of enterprise advice and support.’

Enterprise Hub is backed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and aims to help entrepreneurs through Liverpool City Region and aims to help entrepreneurs throughout the region realise their business ambitions by providing expert advice and support.

“This includes helping people, both men and women, understand the process of starting a business, research their business idea, create a sustainable business plan or marketing plan, create financial forecasts to understand the cost of running a business, and identify sources of finance to get started.

To qualify for Enterprise Hub you have to live in Knowsley, Sefton, Wirral, Liverpool, St Helens or Halton, and not yet registered as self-employed.

Enterprise Hub was launched in December 2015 and aims to support 6,000 people from the region to get their business ideas off the ground as part of the three-year programme.

The Women’s Orgnisation is currently celebrating its 21st birthday, having helped more than 50,000 women in that time.

The City of Liverpool College is the accountable body for Enterprise Hub, with The Women’s Organisation acting as the managing agent to deliver the programme.

Principal of The City of Liverpool College Elaine Bowker said: “In the last 10 years, we have seen the entrepreneurial spirit in Liverpool transform the landscape and the mood of the city, which is thriving a in a new renaissance where opportunities are in abundance.

“As the college for business we have joined forces with the Women’s Organisation and the programme offers budding entrepreneurs practical tools and training to help realise their career ambitions.

“Our partnership was made to boost the prospects of men and women in Liverpool and inspire students to develop their ideas into businesses.

“There are now 500 business owners who are in control of their own destiny and who have laid the foundations of their own businesses to thanks to the Women’s Organisation with the college’s support and that is fantastic.

“I would like to thank the journalists from the various media for attending the event and giving the entrepreneurs crucial advice in exposing their businesses and the great work The Women’s Organisation does.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Maria Carr .