Make Your Mark Blog

Check out Make Your Mark doing a live ideas mashup at their team meeting last week on youtube!

www.makeyourmark.org.uk/ideasmashup

My brother works for a head hunting firm - perfect to help out people with mock interviews etc and help prepare them for the world of work!! And he always asks me how he can get involved in work-related learning. Well I used to tell him to contact his local school, but now I’ve found a nice shiny new website that’s fab!

In 2009 WinWeb will celebrate it’s 15th anniversary by hosting a Business’09 Competition to win £10,000 or an equivalent currency value for small business owners or budding start up business entrepreneurs.

Make Your Mark are supporting this excellent initiative and recommend that you take a look at the details below.

All that is required is that you let WinWeb know what you would do with the money for your business. Would you start your dream business? Start a business from home? Invest it in your current business and finish a long planned project?

My last day of Enterprise Week (booo) was spent at Wolverhampon Molineux Stadium where I facilitated a group of students for the Wolverhampton EBP Business Challenge. The aim was to come up with a business idea that could potentially be franchised in the future. Out of the 9 schools that attended the group that won was, of course… the one facilitated by a Make Your Marker!

Well it’s none stop here in Yorkshire and Humber region. After yesterday’s success with the Challenge we thought the students would be taking it easy… not likely!

Students from Challenge College in Bradford had a great day with the launch of the One Water Challenge. More than 200 students turned up to discuss ways in which they could promote and sell bottled water to raise money to buy pumps for African communities.

I’ve been inspired by a wide variety of fantastic entrepreneurs at each event I’ve been to so far this week. From committed community based social entrepreneurs like Chrissey Townsend, founder of the Teviot Action Group, to energetic dynamic young entrepreneurs Sally Broom of YourSafePlanet and Nathaniel Peat of The Safety Box and , to brilliant innovators such as Celia Gates of Doctor Cook, and famous names like James Caan and Peter Jones.

I’d be interested to hear who has inspired you the most this week?

Today I have been at Brew Tea Bar were teams of students from 5 schools across Merseyside have been taking part in the Brew Tea Challenge.

Make Your Mark Ambassador - Phil Kirby set Year 12 students from All Saints High School, Bebbington Sports College, Broadgreen International High School, Carmel College and Pensby High for Girls the challenge of creating a new tea blend and designing a poster campaign for the new tea.

Phil opened his Brew Tea Bar in August this year and it is going from strength to strength and when I spoke to him about Enterprise Week and he mentioned this challenge we were delighted to invite schools along to take part.

OPPORTUNITY PRICELESS, FUN GUARANTEED

Teamworks Karting in partnership with Make Your Mark is holding a unique event where 30 ‘up and coming’ women entrepreneurs will spend a day as team members and mentees to one of five successful business women.

Mentors include:

GITA PATEL, FOUNDER STARGATE CAPITAL

SANDRA HARRISON, MD, REVIVAL STUDIOS,

DANIELA VARLEY, FOUNDING DIRECTOR, RECRE8NOW

If you are aged between 16-30,aspiring to succeed in business and fancy spending a fun day with someone that can offer you great ideas to help you on your way into business then email: [email protected] or call Tel: 0870 900 3020

Year 10 students at Pensby High for girls were treated to a visit from Wirral MP Steven Hesford and Make Your Mark Ambassadors Clare Molyneux and Tim Coleman.

Steven, Clare and Tim were on hand throughout the morning to talk to the girls about enterprise, the Make Your Mark Challenge and how they can develop and build their own enterprise skills and potential.

Mr Hesford said: “Enterprise week provides a great focus on how we can create business opportunities, particularly for our up and coming entrepreneurs of the future.

There is a major free business networking event at the Hilton Metropole Hotel on Monday 17^th November from 6:30pm.

The organisers are holding it in support of Enterprise Week 2008 and are expecting around 1,000 businesses to attend. This event brings together many networks and business communities and offers the opportunity to meet other high calibre business delegates, openly network in a relaxed and friendly environment, build strong business relationships and gain valuable information about the issues that most affect your business.

I’ve been assured that a glass of wine (or two) and a warm welcome awaits you on your arrival! You can register for free at www.TheNetworkingEvent.com Please do invite your colleagues, business contacts and networks to attend too.

The North West Women in Business Awards 2009 have been launched!

If you are a woman entrepreneur Making Your Mark in the North West you can enter by downloading an application form from www.nwda.co.uk/women.

The awards are an opportunity to celebrate, recognise and reward the entrepreneurial talent of women in the North West and to inspire others and promote enterprise as an option to other women in the region.

Winweb International have kindly offered to provide OnlineOffice for free for 9 months to any entrepreneurs that would benefit from using it during Enterprise Week 2008.

OnlineOffice is a complete Small Business Infrastructure for micro business, home business and contractors. It allows you to set up your website, online shop and blog to promote your business. Stay in control with the business planning and accounting tools, including invoicing. The integrated online file and data storage allows you to keep your data safe and to share files world wide. With over 100 free business ideas it is the ideal way to become a entrepreneur. It has many more business tools for you to use and start your dream business.

Last Thursday I attended the Liverpool John Moores University Graduate Entrepreneurs Awards Event held at the new Studio 2 @ Parr Street Studios. The event was a great success with a lovely venue, food and drink. But the best thing about the evening was too see the great enterprising talent that has come from Liverpool John Moores University Start Up Programme.

Liverpool John Moores does a great a job of nurturing enterprise talent in the city and the event recognised those that actively support it with the Young Enterprise Volunteer of the Year Award which went to Make Your Mark Ambassador Julia Emelogu of Maximum Impact Solutions.

Three Make Your Mark Ambassadors have been nominated for Juice fm’s Liverpool Style Awards in the Business Enterprise category. Tom Stanley - The Jamm Factory, Lucy Byrne - Dot Art and Phil Kirby - Brew Tea Bar have all been nominated and are looking for your votes.

You can vote online at http://www.juicefm.com/promo/093008_styleawards/vote_business.php and voting closes at 5pm Friday 14th November.

The awards ceremony itself takes place during Enterprise Week on Saturday 22nd November at the Palm House in Liverpool so get voting and come back after Enterprise Week to find out who won!

Get charged up! and accelerate your business success at an inspiring group coaching circle.

This fun, stimulating, energy fuelled session is for young people with a business idea, or a start-up enterprise on Merseyside. The session will not only help you to achieve your business goals, but also provides a valuable opportunity to build strong referral relationships and broaden your contacts.

The FREE event is brought to you by Striding Out in Liverpool - a new scheme dedicated to supporting young entrepreneurs in Merseyside.