The UK government is keen to encourage enterprise and business startup because of the potential to create economic growth and employment. The first means of support is through an entitlement to free support and advice. The central agency for this is Business Link: http://www.businesslink.gov.uk

Business Link is organised on a local basis and employs staff to provide free business advice. They also run a range of courses and other events for those new to business.

As well as Business Link, there are a plethora of schemes offering support of various kinds – including finance for startup. They are often dependent on location – you may have to have the right postcode to access the support. Sometimes they are specific to certain industries, stage of business growth or for a specific purpose – for example exporting. Although Business Link do not run these schemes, they are usually the best central point for finding out what is available in your local area. Regional Development Agencies can be another useful source of local information: http://www.englandsrdas.com

Some types of enterprise support can be targeted at specific age groups; the Prince’s Trust (http://www.princes-trust.org.uk), for example, works with people up to the age of 30, whereas other organisations, such as Prime Initiative, are dedicated to helping those over 50: http://www.primeinitiative.org.uk/

Those who are unwaged may be able to get enterprise support through schemes such as New Deal: http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP /Customers/New_Deal

Universities offer enterprise support to their students and graduates through various means, and you may want to explore this if you are a graduate or thinking of taking a course in the near future.

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