Member Article

£30,000 prize launches to help Birmingham residents avoid ‘FOMO’ Friday and help realise business ideas

This Friday, (18th January), has been officially announced as ‘FOMO Friday’ (Fear of Missing Out Friday), so called because it comes at the middle of January when most of us will be searching for a new start and suffering with ’FOMO for not taking the leap.

To counter the chances of ‘FOMO’ in Birmingham, Office Outlet, the UK’s leading office supplier, has launched the Big Ideas Fund initiative, a competition giving those with limited resources but great ideas the chance to start a new business.

With £30,000 up for grabs for six innovative business ideas, the competition also offers a full package of support for entrepreneurs or those with fledgling business ideas, to kick start their projects.

Research from Office Outlet has found the middle of January is the most popular time of year when it comes to us searching for new jobs. More people in Birmingham will embark on a new career path today than any other day of the year due to 2018 regrets and New Year resolutions, wanting to realise unfulfilled dreams.

The project is kicking off in Birmingham to support and help fund new business ideas from talented people in the area, whether they’re entrepreneurs who just need a boost, or for would-be start-ups who need to get their idea off the ground.

Successful entrants to the initiative will unlock financial support, office space and equipment as well as support and mentoring from some of the best minds in the business.

One Birmingham mumtrepreneur who recently took the plunge to avoid FOMO is Olivia Siegl. Following the birth of her eldest, Olivia was inspired to publish a book and establish a digital support platform to help mothers, like her, deal with the impact of post-natal depression. She comments: “I was working in a high-octane marketing role before the birth of my eldest. It dawned on me that we’re regularly told, as mothers, how to prepare and recover physically when pregnant, but there’s very little support offered when it comes to our mental wellbeing. That’s when I started thinking about creating a book and website with an aim to help others.

“I really struggled to take the plunge to do it and was certainly succumbing to FOMO! It was my husband Jamie who encouraged me to get set up, and he even bought me a website as a birthday present so I could get started! Since then, I’ve launched the Every Mum Movement website to reach and help mothers across the globe. I’ll be pitching in to The Big Ideas Fund with an aim to build on my business proposition and to reach as many mothers as possible. As well as the prize-fund, the advice from the judges and workshops will be invaluable to take my idea to the new-level!”

Sue Cuthbert, Business Development and Marketing Director of Office Outlet comments: “We serve thousands of entrepreneurs every week, which has given us real insight into what businesses need to succeed at start-up phase. The £5,000 cash injection will really give those suffering on ‘FOMO Friday’ the impetus to take the plunge and live out their business dreams. We hope to see some great ideas from people across all walks of live throughout the city.

“The winners will be able to access strategy workshops, as well as invaluable advice from some really high profile CEOs across various sectors”.

If successful, the Birmingham project will grow into a national campaign next spring and the fund will be extended to support more talented individuals who need that crucial leg up to get going.

Judges and mentors of the initiative include: Office Outlet CEO Chris Yates, Harold Tillman CBE Chairman of First Restaurant Group, Caroline Rush CEO of The British Fashion Council and Mark Sinnock CEO of Havas.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Big Ideas Fund .