January 2009 E bulletin

David Grey, Chair of the Local Economy Board overseeing BiG, comments on the recent developments.

Star of BBC's 'The Apprentice', Ruth Badger, made a special appearance at the...

People across the city are still talking about the 2008 BiG Challenge, fuelled by reports of the amazing American experience of winners, Bitz & Boblets...

Successful businesses and individuals across Sheffield were celebrated at the Sheffield Business Awards...

Free practical advice on how to survive the credit crunch for new and small businesses has been having a weekly airing on Sheffield's own community radio station...

Fifty new business starts...

A state-of-the-art education and training environment in Sheffield was launched on 2 December 2008, providing the city's students...

Selection of public relations and marketing activity across programme

 

Crystal beauty parlour in Handsworth has proved a big success for mother and daughter partnership...

When Lorraine Stansbie approached BiG: Make it Your Business for help, she got a master class in winning the tender to take over her perfect business a local cafe...

Parsons Cross-based musician Adam Went has recently recieved £3,000 investment for his new music business - Doe Ray Me...

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the BiG: Make it your Business e-newsletter.

 

The BiG programme has been full steam ahead in recent months with the support we offer particularly important in these economic climes. As a team working on boosting economic growth across Sheffield we all realise that we are facing difficult times but if ever a support programme like this had the ability to make a difference - it is now.

 

The core elements of our programme are working well and this has been exemplified by both outputs and the feedback from clients at recent networking and community celebration events held by the projects.

 

BiG Challenge 2009 was launched at Fir Vale by the former Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform, John Hutton MP. Already the response to the competition has been overwhelming with a significant increase in entries – up from 180 teams to 300 in 2009. The BiG Challenge for us will be judging the winners if last year’s superb quality of entries is anything to go by.

 

The Franchising Fair in November 2008 saw 281 attendees at City Hall learn about Franchising opportunities and Ruth Badger, from the BBC show The Apprentice, inspire others as the key note speaker.

 

As a programme we are also working hard to utilise Sheffield businesses to support our recent start ups and programme objectives. The Entrepreneur Exchange is creating a buzz amongst the city’s already established entrepreneurs and linking them into the opportunity to contribute or mentor a new business or get involved with enterprise at an education level. The response to the Entrepreneur Exchange has been overwhelmingly positive. The city’s business community support is gratefully received and key to helping Sheffield’s LEGI move forward with delivery in 2009 and in allowing us to nurture new entrepreneurial talent.

 

David Grey

Group Managing Director

OSL Group Holdings Ltd