The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Start-ups offered £300 and advice
Anew Dundee group is offering young people £300 to have a go at starting a business. Dundee E3 has 20 grants to give to people aged between 18 and 30.
The Give It A Go programme is for people to test the market with a business idea.
As well as funding, people can also access free digital training and expert one-to-one mentorship.
Edith Adam from Dundee E3 said: “It’s for people right at the start of their journey who want to give business a go and need a little amount of money to start.
“We’ve already assigned eight of the grants. Recipients include a games developer, fashion designer, artists and someone looking to start sewing workshops for children.
“The main criteria is it’s for people at the very start, whose business is not even registered with HMRC.
“We are still looking for more people to come forward.”
The project’s aim is to offer free guidance and support to businesses at the heart of local communities.
The goal is to drive skills development, increase business start-up rates and deliver job creation opportunities.
It is being delivered by Elevator, which also runs business accelerator courses and Business Gateway services in Dundee and Perth.
The support can take the form of skills courses but could also help with brainstorming or simply giving encouragement.
Dundee E3 is particularly targeting the Lochee and Stobswell areas.
Business enablement manager Kate Clark said: “The team works out of Lochee and Arthurstone libraries two days a week.
“We can also travel directly to clients anywhere
“It’s for people right at the start... who want to give it a go
in Dundee in our mobile support van.
“We are engaging directly within the community to supply guidance tailored to the individual. There is a focus on ease of access and straightforward advice.
“This can act as a springboard to more indepth support if and when required.”
Already several Dundee businesses have benefited from E3 since it launched at the start of the year.
These include 4 Seasons Carpets, goalkeeping coach Calum Brodie, coaching business Get Set Yeti and self-employed artist Neovi Wales.
Ms Clark said some of the existing businesses are now helping the young entrepreneurs coming forward through the grant scheme.
“We’ve had fantastic support from existing business owners who we have been able to team with our clients to offer their own insights.
“The willingness to support these start-ups has been heart-warming.
“We are meeting people who have fantastic business ideas.
“They just need that early support and encouragement to take them to the next level.
“We’re delighted to be playing a part.”
Dundee E3 has funding from UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund.
It gave Elevator £2.8 million to work across Aberdeenshire, Dundee, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire.