Make Your Mark Blog

As we turn the corner of a new era, we need new people to help us continue with our enterprise message - As the new HR manager I am excited to have some great opportunities available to continue the enterprise message through our people. We are looking for people ready for new challenges and passionate about what we do - whether you are a self confessed enterprise junkie or want to embark on an amazing new journey you might just be in with a chance - so who’s in?

Vanessa

Enterprise Junkie - and - Make Your Mark HR Manager

Phil Hope gave a rousing speech at the launch event of the UK Catalyst Awards - the community awards for social technology yesterday at NESTA.

Present were a range of aspiring winners, sponsors, partners, media, interested parties and not least the ‘Talkaoke’ - a doughnut shaped table where people come to have a facilitated debate and discussion.

The minister was especially keen to see a fusion between ‘techies’ in the social media sphere, social entrepreneurs and social activists. Watch this space…

www.ukcatalystawards.com

Who do you imagine when you think ‘entrepreneur’? Richard Branson or Alan Sugar? Fourteen-year-old Joel Drapper could be evidence that a new generation is brimming with entrepreneurial flair.

Joel has a talent for IT and a passion for websites. He has taken his interest and turned it into an enterprising opportunity. By starting the business 1stclasswebsites.com. Joel is planning to use his skill in creating websites to help small businesses and charities, giving them a professional-look presence online. Joel already has some satisfied customers and his fame as a local business man is growing:this week he made it into the local paper. Read the story here:
http://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/localnews/display.var.2251446.0.it_boy_with_a_head_for_business.php

Joel and his family have already ‘made their mark’ through enterprise:

In December 2007 the family entered a team for the Make Your Mark Challenge, the UK’s largest simultaneous enterprise competition. In the toughest ever year of the contest, the Drapper Family came up with an enterprising solution to the Challenge to ‘make it pay in a globalocal way’ and triumphed as a winner in the South West Regional Final.

Following success in the Make Your Mark Challenge, the family joined the Make Your Mark Club, a network of enterprise clubs run by school and college students. Four children have been developing enterprising ventures and all are making their mark developing new skills and ideas.

Joel used the prize money from the Make Your Mark Challenge to develop his business idea for the website design company and next week he will launch 1stclasswebsite.com on his birthday. Joel has overcome many barriers, including having ADHD, but nothing has stopped him bringing his idea to life.

Joel is a living example of the ways in which young people can make their mark and create real opportunities for themselves. We wish him lots of luck with his venture - he’s a great example to us all!

The Drapper Family Home School is part of the Make Your Mark Club. See enterprising ideas from teenagers all over the UK on the MYM Club website: www.makeyourmarkclub.org

Microsoft have launched research today, which shows that over 80% of small business owners believe that the conditions for starting a business will worsen over the coming year. It also revealed that more than 40% would not encourage others thinking about setting up in business.  What was interesting was that financing projects was not of great concern so it seems that the issue is around confidence rather than money.

I went on some regional radio stations this morning to discuss these points alongside a spokesperson from Microsoft and was keen to point out the following:

• There is a market out there for more than you might think and, whilst entrepreneurs should be careful not to enter a particularly declining market, there will always be a need for innovative products and services
• You have to take risks to be an entrepreneur, no matter what the state of the economy is, so the trick is to manage these risks and take control of your own destiny
• Start small, but aim high. As my friend from Microsoft rightly says it is now possible to set up in business with only a good idea and a laptop based in your bedroom. You don’t always need to chuck your job in and remortgage your house to turn a dream into reality. Who knows you could create the next Google or Facebook which both started in someone’s bedroom!

And bearing this all in mind if you are (hopefully) still keen to take the plunge make sure you get out there and talk about your idea with others. Find people who can help you because a strong support network can get you through the hardest of times.

check out the world’s top bloggers under 21 from retireat21.com - http://www.retireat21.com/blog/top-young-bloggers-under-21/

startups.co.uk have published their list of the top 100 UK start-ups. It is great to see some familiar faces in there, and lots of young entrepreneurs in the mix. My personal faves have to be Onya (their shopping bag is always on me) and moo.com. Check em out and please let us know your favourite.

http://www.startups.co.uk/6678842910082155685/startups-100.html

The BBC is currently searching for Britain’s best entrepreneurs for the next series of Dragons’ Den and will be auditioning throughout the coming months. They want to hear from anyone who is genuinely seeking investment for their business idea or invention and thinks they’ve got what it takes to enter the Dragons’ Den.

If you would like an application form send an e-mail to dragonsden@bbc.co.uk, telephone 0871 200 3003 (Calls cost 10p per minute from a BT Landline, other operators and mobiles may be higher) or visit www.bbc.co.uk/dragonsden

What’s more, as it is St George’s Day today what better day is there to take on a Dragon?!

Make Your Mark has teamed up with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, NESTA and a number of other organisations to bring you The UK Catalyst Awards: Community Awards for Social Change.

These new awards are looking for people who help their community by using social technology in new and exciting ways.

Anyone in the UK can enter and winners will get the chance to promote their idea and see it adopted by others, be invited to pitch their idea to judges, compare notes with fellow finalists, and meet other interesting people, like the folk from Unltd - the charity that helps social entrepreneurs. They will also be invited to an award ceremony where their work could be recognised as the best in the country.

If you have had a great idea using social technology that has made a difference to your community then The UK Catalyst Awards want to hear from you!

Visit www.ukcatalystawards.com to find out more and enter.

Making money from the web was the theme of today when some ambitious young people visited Make Your Mark towers to find out more about carving a lucrative career online.

The pupils from Knights Templar school did a spot of speed networking with a variety of people from online industries, including Andrew Walker (Thin Martian), Matthew Miles-Griffiths (games designer), Paul Miller (CEO of School of Everything), Ollie Barrett (entrepreneur and speed networking guru) and Make Your Mark’s very own Dr Dan McQuillan and Allan Okello.

Lloyd Davis from Social Media Cafe and Louise Brown from Channel 4 spoke to the group about new web technologies and the careers that can be forged online, and there were a series of entertaining discussions about working on the web, being a games designer and working at Channel 4.

A good day was had by all and hopefully we have inspired some future internet millionaires!

View photos from the day 

Just been on a v cool training course by the gang from http://mediasnackers.com/intro/

If you want to learn more about the potential of social media and all things digital then this is the course for you. We saw some inspiring examples of the power of shared content:

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/home.php - if this isn’t an enterprising idea which has been turned into reality I don’t know what is! We should use this as inspiration for Global Entrepreneurship Week (www.unleashingideas.org).

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8602472107022912201 I love the cup stackers. Over one million people have viewed this film. Unbelievable.

Hopefully you’ll begin to see Make Your Mark folk being more digital-savvy, using video and audio to inspire and empower. Watch this space…

And if you have any other examples of where people have used social networking and digital technology to make their enterprising ideas happen please tell us and share the inspiration!!

ps just found this - better version of evite for sending out invitations http://www.pingg.com/event/view/ZQzZ0Wc-zZ05v?new=true

Professional networking group First Tuesday, in conjunction with leading web conference Internet World, have announced the First Tuesday Award. A distinguished panel of judges from companies such as the Financial Times and the London Business School will bestow the title of ‘UK’s Most Promising Internet Company’ to the most qualified candidate, at the Internet World conference in London on April 30th April, 2008.

Covering a broad spectrum of web-based UK businesses, the companies will be judged on their degree of innovation, growth rate and future potential. The winner will be awarded a lucrative business booster package including personal introductions to some of UK’s top VC and Angel investors, a professionally produced corporate video, access to meeting facilities across the UK and business plan coaching. The full package is valued at upwards of £10,000.

“London specifically, and the UK in general, are experiencing a resurgence in web-based entrepreneurial culture,” said First Tuesday Chief Executive Christer Holloman. “What largely disappeared after the dot-com bust of 2000 has reemerged, with a vibrant mix of young start-ups and experienced venture capitalists starting to make waves.”

Internet World event director James Drake-Brockman commented: “With the UK’s premier web companies and most promising entrepreneurs in attendance, Internet World provides the perfect forum for First Tuesday’s ‘Most Promising Internet Company’ award. First Tuesday’s formula of bringing together venture capital and entrepreneurship will add a valued dimension to the event.”

Companies that believe they should be shortlisted can nominate themselves free of charge on the First Tuesday website ( http://www.firsttuesday.org.uk/award ). The nomination process takes then less then 10 minutes. Members of the public are also encouraged to nominate companies they would like to see win, for a chance to collect a cash prize and tickets to the official after party at Paul Allen’s private members club, The Hospital in Covent Garden.

Check out the latest BBC online blog http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7315598.stm

from entrepreneur and Make Your Mark ambassador Kulveer - who has just sold his company which he runs with his cousin for ‘millions of dollars’.

His move to Sillicon Valley in the States has undoubtedly played a part and I wonder whether we can ever hope to reproduce this fostering environment for tech companies in the UK. It’s a point which Kulveer raises within a view point he wrote for us last year.

http://www.makeyourmark.org.uk/policy/future_face_of_enterprise/who_else/viewpoints/stoz/

Let us know what you think…

Channel 4 is looking for 16 to 21 year olds…

…to take part in a new and exciting interactive project.

Interesting Year Ahead?

In the next 12 months are you hoping to achieve a certain goal?  Deal with personal issues? Make a professional dream a reality?  Address relationship problems with family or friends? Get your life back on track?  Are you willing to be filmed for the next 365 days?

Maybe you are off to university, taking a GAP year or going into the world of work…

Whatever you are up to, we want to hear about it!

To find out more please email youth@sotelevision.co.uk or call 0207 960 2009

www.myspace.com/YoungAmbitions

All enquiries will be treated in the strictest of confidence

Kirill Makharinsky, 21, and Bob Goodson, 27 have just launched a new website for start-ups. It is called YouNoodle and is a place to discover and support the hottest early-stage companies.

You can browse innovative startups and follow their progress. You can also register your own startup and use YouNoodle to build up a following as well as develop a team of specific supporters.

It over turns one of the biggest fears that many people have - that if they share their idea in public, someone will steal it. It’s refreshing to see a tool that highlights the importance of collaboration. By sharing your idea you are more likely to attract the right people to support your business, find deals, find opportunities and ultimately succeed.

The founders of YouNoodle are also developing a model which will predict the future success of a start-up. This will use rigorous mathematical analysis to track how social networks and business contacts impact the company’s performance. Definitely one to watch…

http://davidhorvitz.com/if/

This guy has had an amazing set of ideas for things he can sell to you. It’s so original I’m definitely going to buy one, and it’s a beautiful example of how ridiculously easy it can be to set up an enterprise.