Top guns send a welcome to Scot-Buzz

Scottish government ministers, business leaders and commentators have given a warm welcome to the launch of Scot-Buzz and its mission to help business enterprise and the SME sector. We are delighted to receive these expressions of support. If you would like to feature in our “Pillar of Support” column, do send an email!

From Fergus Ewing, Minister for Enterprise

"This website is a great initiative. 

I was a small business owner and manager for 17 years.  I did not know then that I would become Minister for Enterprise – so maybe one of the young entrepreneurs who will be helped and encouraged by Scot-Buzz will follow suit!

Scotland is recognised across the globe as a great place to do business.  A reputation forged by enterprising Scots over generations.  Today we will continue to show our young people what business means.  And we will celebrate that enterprise – running businesses; whether as self employed or in a company, whether a sole trader or manager of a large enterprise – is a good choice for the individual and for our country.

We will continue to help young people – to nurture their talent.  I have been encouraged speaking with many young people who have set up businesses.  Many tell me that it has been the mentoring more than money in the form of grants that has been the most valuable in allowing them to succeed year after year. 

The start-ups supported by Business Gateway number over eleven thousand a year.  The Prince‘s Trust‘s excellent work, by volunteers mostly, has helped thousands of young Scots and the Social Enterprise Academy’s work in schools is exceptional.  Private business people already go into schools and explain how they succeed to children.  

We will do much more of this and drive ambition and aspiration.  We will enable our young people of 13 or 14 to answer the question: “What do you want to do when you grow up?” by awakening their potential and their options open to them.   

So, we will explain, evangelise, educate and extol the values and opportunities in life that can come from pursuing a business, starting a business, running a business, growing a business.  This website will be a new player for Team Scotland.  Many congratulations to all who are involved in Scot-buzz.  I hope to do all I can to assist you in your excellent aims.”

From Colin Borland, Head of External Affairs Scotland, Federation of Small Business:

“The economy, enterprise and business issues have never been higher on the political agenda or more central to the public policy debate.  There are competing analyses of the problems and the solutions are never as clear cut as some would have you believe.  The more informed, intelligent debate we can generate on these matters the better and I look forward to reading plenty of it on Scott-Buzz.”

From David Watt, Executive Director, Institute of Directors Scotland:

“Focusing on the needs, concerns and opportunities for SMEs in Scotland is vital to the future of the nation’s economy and the more we can do to raise awareness and focus attention the better.  Scott-Buzz can play a major part in this and deserves all our support in doing this.”

CBI Scotland’s Assistant Director, David Lonsdale, said: