Say ‘Yes!’ TO START-UP SCOTLAND!

An Open letter to Scot-Buzz readers from the Editor... 

Now is the time to launch a great campaign that everyone can rally round.

It’s time to launch Start-Up Scotland.

Our lead story today is on the visit of the Start-Up Business campaign bus to Scotland next month.

It’s a big event in the campaign to promote business start-up – and another big exclusive for Scot-Buzz.

The tour is specifically targeted at young people. It aims to give advice and help from business figures who have been through the mill of starting  a business and seeing it through the crucial initial ages.

I hope you will spread the word about the tour and visit the start-up Britain website for details.

And I hope very much that the Scottish government can give this tour  support by publicity and recognition

A little encouragement means so much and can go a long way in promoting the event and the wider cause.

So how about a friendly wave of support for the Start-Up bus when it comes to Scotland?

Start-Up Britain is independent, non-party and funded entirely by voluntary donations from businesses big and small.It was one of the main inspirations for the launch of Scot-Buzz. And today we salute Emma Jones, Liz and Emily Slee and her team at Start-Up Britain for their passion and enthusiasm in helping to promote enterprise.     

We all know – or should know by now – why business formation is critical here in Scotland. The total number of private sector businesses in Scotland is some 307,000.

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) number 305,000, accounting for 99 per cent of enterprises and 54 per cent of employment. It is the private sector – and in particular the SME sector – that accounts for the bulk of employment in Scotland.

And it is the private sector to which Scotland has turned for employment growth in these fraught and difficult times while the government sector is under pressure to retrench.

We need more people to start up in business. We need existing small firms to grow. And we need the support of the Scottish government.

So why not a Start-Up Scotland campaign?

This is an acute challenge that we face. And it is particularly acute in Scotland where we have a lower rate of business formation than the rest of the UK. Scotland needs to give maximum encouragement and support for young entrepreneurs.

If there is a business figure or MSP or campaigner who would like to lend a hand and wave support through Scot-Buzz we will give you maximum coverage and support. If you have a message you would like to send, or advice to give or you want  simpy to  say ‘yes!’ to Start-Up Scotland, send us an email. We will run the names of supporters every week – a column in Scot-Buzz, and a great and growoing pillar for Scotland!