News and Blog Articles

Welcome back to the University of Worcester, who have recently successful reapproved as an IOEE Centre of Excellence! We spoke to Dr Karen Bill who currently works in the Marketing and Enterprise Department in the Business School at the University and has an extensive background in enterprise and entrepreneurship and recognised nationally for her contribution […]

Amy, can you tell us about your business and why you wanted to be part of the Enterprise Mentoring Programme? I run a sustainable textile business inspired by the way that embroidery techniques are used to revitalise worn fabrics that would most likely end up in landfill. In addition, I run textile-based workshops which allow […]

The IOEE Lloyds Banking Group Covid-19 Response Mentoring programme was created to support small and micro-businesses affected by the Covid-19 crisis which has impacted many businesses across all sectors within the UK. In this article we speak to Lloyds Banking Group mentor, Suraj Sridhar and Suraj’s mentee Michelle Bateman who founded Woof’s Treats back in […]

The author Dr Rita G. Klapper is Reader in Enterprise and Sustainability at Manchester Met and is part of the University’s IOEE Centre of Excellence. Rita uses innovative pedagogy and elements from yoga such as mindfulness in her course creations. Enterprise & entrepreneurship education have long found its way into our Higher Education curricula, and […]

Speaking to Sue Bedward, Director of Operations at IOEE Academy, MBL Academy we took a look at what work they are currently involved in. Sue said: “Midlands Business Leadership Academy (MBL Academy) has been an IOEE Academy for just over 4 years. We have recently gone through a new branding and website launch after being […]

Late 2019 saw the launch of our partnership with the National Enterprise Network (NEN) providing a streamlined application path for NEN Members when applying to become an IOEE Academy. We spoke to three organisations who have taken up the opportunity as NEN members and found out a little more about their organisation and why becoming […]

#1 – Innovate but not as you know it When most businesses hear the word innovation they tend to think about technology, or how they create their next product or process. But innovation isn’t all about ideation, technology and widgets. Actually, it means ways to create value from ideas. In many cases this starts with […]

Small businesses make up nearly 99% of UK business and are at the heart of the UK economy. Our research shows that businesses that use external support are twice as likely to survive and succeed than businesses that don’t. Ensuring small businesses have somewhere and someone to turn to for valued and trusted support is […]

David Morgan founded Entrepreneurs Unlocked in the Autumn of 2019, soon after becoming an IOEE Academy. David saw IOEE Academy status as vital to his vision of enabling social and economic mobility through entrepreneurship. Offering a range of workshops from a half day entrepreneurial skills exploration session, self-employment short courses, smart sub-contracting for people wanting […]

We have spoken to Inan Gokcek.Inan received support from Barclays Bank mentor, Andy Murphy. Inan runs Anares (http://www.anares.co.uk) and has a small studio based in Hackney, London, his work ranges from furniture design to interior architecture and even small architecture projects such as house extensions, conversions and more. Inan’s main focus is on interior architecture […]

A survey from City Lit in London has revealed that Britain is a nation of wannabe Sir Alan Sugars and Jamal Edwards’, with a staggering 53% of Brits admitting that they wish they could start their own business. The research, however, went on to show how apprehension gets in the way of this entrepreneurialism with […]

UK microbusinesses spent almost 10 weeks working on financial admin last year, according to a new report. In Make Business Simple, Starling Bank surveyed 1,000 UK microbusinesses. The average firm clocked up 79 hours of labour a week, 15 of which go on finance admin tasks – a considerable 19% chunk of the total time. Smaller companies are […]

There are huge benefits to be gained by both sides of the mentoring relationship from both the mentee and the mentor, we’ve taken a look at just a few below. For the Mentee: Provides impartial advice and encouragement Develops a supportive relationship Assists with problem solving Improves self-confidence Offers professional development Encourages reflection on practice […]

So, you’ve created a great product and you’re ready to scale. Whether you’re looking to land distribution with retailers or ambassadors, there’s one common need: to make sure who you’re selling to understands the incredible business opportunity that rests in working with you. To achieve this, they must believe they can easily sell your product […]

1. Cash flow is more important to monitor than profits. Too many business leaders rely on the monthly profit and loss (P&L) statement to gauge cash flow. Your P&L is important, but it’s not an accurate picture of the cash flowing into and out of your business. The cash flow statement is the go-to document […]

Funding can be key to the success of a business but securing the deal can be daunting. As a new entrepreneur, drawing up a meticulous business plan is often just the beginning – it’s the investment that brings an idea to life. Achieving investment bridges the gap between having a great idea and building a […]

It’s often said that you don’t know what you don’t know. As an aspiring entrepreneur, there will be many aspects of your journey that may catch you off guard or downright confuse you. While this is normal, some areas of ignorance can impact your chances of success. 1. Losing Sight Of The Big Picture In […]

The North West has overtaken the South East to become the UK’s most entrepreneurial region outside of London, new figures suggest. Data from Start Up Loans – part of the British Business Bank – shows that the Government-backed programme has delivered 8,366 loans, providing over £65 million in funding to start ups in the North […]

You’ve finally found your passion and launched that dream business only to find it challenging to get funding. You’re scratching your head because you have a solid business plan, yet the pounds aren’t rolling in. The truth is that potential investors look at you, the entrepreneur, as the investment. Not the business idea. In other […]

The Department for International Trade (DIT) has held 130 Brexit workshops for small businesses trading with the EU, and will soon launch a new market access database for UK traders. DIT invited thousands of small business traders to bespoke workshops, helping them develop personalised plans to continue and increase their trade after we leave the […]

The New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) scheme has helped launch 203 businesses by unemployed benefit claimants on average each week in the UK, since 2017. Older claimants and people in the North West in particular have shown entrepreneurial skills. Helping unemployed people become their own boss as a route from claiming benefits, the NEA scheme offers claimants a […]

The Customer Is Always Right is an exciting series that follows budding entrepreneurs from across the UK as they try to make a success of their inventions. They are making everything from pet accessories to health and beauty products, home and garden tools, to children’s gadgets. Each episode of The Customer Is Always Right will […]

This flagship event is sponsored again this year by Barclays and takes place on Friday 22nd November 2019 at the prestigious Barclays offices in Canary Wharf, London. This one day event dedicated to Unleashing Innovation in Enterprise offers fantastic networking opportunities and an impressive programme to inspire and encourage new thinking as to how an […]

The mind can be a difficult place. Sadly, mental illness is invisible and affects everyone. At times, it may seem like an epidemic that can’t be beaten as workplace-related mental illness has reached staggering numbers. However, UK startups are changing our approach to mental wellbeing. So we wanted to share 5 mental health UK startups and celebrate […]