Government launches new ‘Business in You’ campaign

The Government has just launched a major new scheme entitled ‘Business in You’ in an attempt to inspire people to grow and develop their own business with help and resources from the government.

Empty and under-used Government office space will be made available to small businesses who have a hard task in finding suitable yet affordable premises, as there are currently more than three hundred buildings in the central government estate with available space. Much of this will be offered to small businesses at a reasonable cost, and this space will be supervised by third sector organisations.

This comes as part of its overall efficiency programme which has led to savings of £100 million by exiting leases and properties to save money, initially for one year and involving flexible arrangements to make use of their assets.

The Government has also provided an array of information in order to offer assistance and support for small firms, as well as seeking out larger companies who would consider offering support in the form of free opportunities such as workshops, webinars and video tutorials on an array of topics, as well as the possibility of consultancy sessions.

The campaign has so far been met with success, with many companies including StartUp Britain, the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses and the major banks all on board to help.

Large-scale publicity has been created for this campaign, with radio adverts, posters and national and trade press all exhibiting the different stories and successes of small business owners from varying backgrounds. These inspirational stories will be available on a web portal which will collaborate the resources available for small businesses in order to aid their progression.

A new topic relating to start-ups will be chosen each month for the campaign to focus on which is designed to illustrate all available Government support as well as to educate small businesses and start-ups on how to develop their business.

Prime Minister David Cameron has stated, “Small businesses and entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of the British economy and I am determined that we, working with the private sector, do everything we can to help them to start up and to grow in 2012. I want to encourage people to go for it and make this the year of enterprise – whether that is fulfilling their dream of starting a new business or taking the leap to grow their business, to employ more staff, or to start exporting.”