BUDDING entrepreneurs from Redditch can win themselves a £12,000 prize in a challenge aimed at getting them off the ground and operating in Worcestershire.
The county has one of the fastest growing economies in the country and it is the County Council’s priority to ensure Worcestershire is ‘open for business’.
Its ‘Make It Happen’ challenge is being run by WINN, a Worcestershire County Council and Worcestershire LEP initiative.
One of the businesses offering sponsorship is Charles Lovell Chartered Accountants which has offices in Redditch and Worcester.
Director Hadleigh Burns said: “We felt that WINN offered a unique prize to the winner as it gives them the opportunity to access all the skills necessary to launch their own innovative product.
“As an accountancy practice with many entrepreneurs as clients we felt ideal partners in this exciting competition.”
Councillor Ken Pollock, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy and Infrastructure, said: “We have some big name companies here in Worcestershire such as Bosch and QinetiQ.
“But smaller companies are just as important and contribute a lot to our economy. It’s vital that we encourage budding entrepreneurs to choose Worcestershire as a location to open and grow their businesses.
“This scheme is a great way to reward the best idea and the £12,000 prize will be a shot in the arm to get a company up and running and contributing to our already strong economy.”
The Make It Happen challenge is inviting anyone in the county with a business idea to submit their plans and, potentially, win a cash prize and a series of bespoke sponsorship packages from successful local businesses keen on helping to develop innovation and grass roots ideas.
The winner will be announced on February 28 and will receive £5,000 in cash together with packages worth £1,000 each from a number of different Make It Happen sponsors, with the total prize hitting £12,000.
Highly commended runners-up will all be invited to a series of workshops organised by WINN which are specially designed to give business owners the tools and techniques to get their ideas off the ground.
To apply go to https://winn-hub.com/make-it-happen/
