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StartUp Britain summer bus tour ends
On Friday, the StartUp Britain summer bus tour came to end having spent seven weeks touring 28 towns and cities across Britain – from Plymouth to Inverness. Hundreds of local business advisors joined us over the tour to provide free advice to thousands of aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs. The bus went to Downing Street, took part in London Pride and even visited Loch Ness!
We’ll be collating photos, media coverage, case studies and impact measurements over the coming weeks. Thank you to everyone who helped with the tour – especially our sponsors Sage, NatWest/RBS, Start Up Loans and Upwork!
News
Small business minister ends ban on invoice finance
Daily Mail: Small companies will be given the right to raise funds by borrowing against unpaid invoices from big business customers from early next year. Small business minister Anna Soubry has announced that the government will scrap large firms’ contractual restrictions on invoice financing. Read more.
Related: Late payments put a quarter or small firms at risk of insolvency (Telegraph)
Rebellious children could grow up to be the next Bill Gates
Real Business: While family wealth and IQ were cited as top factors leading to “occupational success”, a new study by has also found that those who broke the rules ended up with the highest incomes. Read more.
Northern Powerhouse has ‘long way to go’ before people benefit
Independent: Workers in the North of England have £2,300 less disposable income than those in the rest of the country, new data from the IPPR North has revealed. This widens to £7,200 when compared to London. Read more.
The great beer boom
Mail Online: Britain has become a “brewing powerhouse” according to the government after figures showed a new brewery has opened up every other day in the past two years. Read more.
UK high street suffers worst summer for six years
Telegraph: The high street is losing out as consumers choose instead to spend in bars and restaurants. Read more.
Opinion
Seedrs’ £10m round is a major step towards global crowdfunding
Jeff Lynn (founder and CEO, Seedrs) writes exclusively for the Centre for Entrepreneurs on the significance of the crowdfunding platform’s latest funding round. Read more.
Enterprising graduates should head for start-ups, not grad schemes
Big companies have the budgets to build their brand among young people, but small businesses could be a better culture fit, writes Duncan Cheatle (founder, Rise To and advisor, Centre for Entrepreneurs). Read more.
Northern Powerhouse: cruel deception or cool conception?
Jeremy Corbyn’s plans for “some sort of devolution to the North of England” and those of the government (the “Northern Powerhouse”) share a common characteristic – both lack any semblance of clarity, writes Geraint Johnes (professor of economics, Lancaster University). Read more.
The information economy isn’t killing capitalism – it’s driving it
The reality is that recent innovations are making markets more prevalent than ever, writes Julian Adorney (Young Voices Advocate and economic historian). Read more.
How I overcame the challenges of medical entrepreneurship
Developing a product in the tightly regulated healthcare market is notoriously difficult. Dr Susannah Clarke explains how she got from idea stage to patients. Read more.
Innovation can have just as much impact as disruption
A particular craft beer pub near to Pimlico Plumbers HQ is a perfect example of the kind of business that has looked at the status quo and decided that a better approach is possible – creating the kind of competition needed to drive the economy forward, writes Charlie Mullins (founder, Pimlico Plumbers). Read more.