Sign up online or at Freshers Fayre this week.

We’ve given our Awards page a little revamp, making it much more visual and providing a space where we can pull together all awards-related content on our site.

What’s New?

The new-look landing page www.shell-livewire.org/awards now offers the visitor two choices; go one way to find out more about our monthly £1,000 Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Awards and the other for details of our annual £10,000 Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2011.

Within each sub-section, you can also see;

• Awards-related news articles
• Awards-related Tweets containing the #SLW11 hashtag
• Awards-related videos
• Awards-related images from our Flickr page
• The latest additions to our ‘Hot 40′ shortlist for the Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2011
• Highlights and success stories from former Shell LiveWIRE Award winners

Elevator Pitch Videos

Another big change is that in the latter half of each month, visitors can now watch the elevator pitch videos of those who have been shortlisted for our £1,000 Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Awards, without being logged in.

You still need to login/be a registered member to vote, but we hope that by making the videos more open they will help inspire other would-be entrepreneurs and serve as a useful teaching aid for teachers, lecturers and business advisors.

Spread the word

We are proud of our awards and the positive impact they have had on businesses up and down the country. Cash is hard to come by for many young entrepreneurs, and so the
Shell LiveWIRE Awards are one way in which young entrepreneurs can get their businesses off the ground.

We need your help to spread the word. Below are some ways that you can help young entrepreneurs:

• Forward this link www.shell-livewire.org/awards to your contacts
• Tweet about the new site using the #SLW11 hashtag
• Request printed promotional materials 0191 423 6229

We hope that the Shell LiveWIRE support and awards will be of assistance to your clients and contacts.

Shell LiveWIRE is a Shell Social Investment Programme that aims to help the community we serve – young entrepreneurs. We want our community to know about all the support that is out there for young start ups. If you run an awards scheme to help young entrepreneurs and wish to engage in reciprocal promotion please get in touch. 

Thanks

A week-long fun and inspiring residential programm
 Participants explore the concepts of starting new businesses or developing fledgling businesses.
When?           Monday 20^th – Friday 24^th June 2011.
Where?         Based in the heart of Kent at Palace Farm an eco-friendly, Green tourism site.
Who?             Student aged 17-25 from Kent and The University of Kent who are interested in establishing business roots in Kent.

Last year’s participants described the course as “life-changing”and several have already started their own business 

We would like to invite you to be part of an international project looking at students’ attitudes and intentions towards entrepreneurship. For the first time the UK is participating in this prestigious project as one of 27 countries world-wide.

We want to be able to accurately represent UK students’ opinions and views on entrepreneurship, so please take 10 minutes to complete the on-line survey
Thank you very much for your participation!

Our Non-Executive Director, and ex-Dragon’s Den TV Star, Rachel Elnaugh is looking for an apprentice to work alongside her at the Business Startup Show being held at The Excel this year. Rachel is looking for an enterprising, outgoing, hard working and inspirational person who is good at engaging with people. If you are successful, you will get paid £50 per day (£100 in total) and will get to accompany Rachel to the after show party (if you are over 18) and if you are under 18, there will be other incentives. Your travel will be covered by Rachel for both days, and you will also have the opportunity to talk about your entrepreneurial experiences with The Small Business Consultancy. Before applying for this – please check that you: Are free all day 8am – 6.30pm on 19th and 20th May  Aged 16+ Preferably own a black suit (or equivalent for girls/ladies) – if you don’t our partners A Suit That Fits may be able to kit you out for the day. To apply for this amazing once in a life time opportunity – please send me us an email. In your email, please include: A statement describing why you would be an ideal apprentice (no more than 200 words) If you were engaging with a customer and met them for the first time, how would you break the ice with them? what would you talk to them about, what kind of questions would you ask them? (it is important to do some research on the Business Startup Show (no more than 200 words) How would you describe Rachel to a person visiting her stand at the show? (no more than 200 words) Please send your email to: amar@thesmallbusinessconsultancy.co.uk  DEADLINE: 5pm on Wednesday 10th May 2011

Visit TSBC Entrepreneurs Network at: http://tsbcentrepreneursnetwork.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

After its record breaking series in 2010, Dragons’ Den is open for business once again, giving entrepreneurs from across the country the opportunity to pitch for investment and fulfil their business ambitions.

If you’re genuinely seeking investment for your business idea or invention, we’d like to hear from you. For an application form please send an e-mail to dragonsden@bbc.co.uk or visit  www.bbc.co.uk/dragonsden/apply  for details on how to apply.

Enterprise Experience Application Form. Further kent.foundation@kent.gov.uk  Telephone: 01622 694341

Kick Start - the largest ever seed investment programme supported by university entrepreneurial societies – is back and bigger than ever.

Kick Start is the seed investment programme for entrepreneurs, run by entrepreneurs.

Entrants can earn an investment of up to £30,000 in their business as well as gaining invaluable advice, support and mentoring.

The Kick Start programme is looking for the very best and brightest entrepreneurs.

- Do you have a well thought through idea that you feel passionately about and are ready to throw yourself into?

- Have you developed a product or service that you are ready to launch?

- Are you already running a business and need help to really take it to next level?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes – Kick Start is for you.

Applications close by 6^th May 2011 so APPLY HERE NOW.

 Kick Start was created and is run by Mark Pritchard and Andy Yates – experienced start-up entrepreneurs, seed investors and business mentors.

Shell LiveWIRE ‘Hot 40′ 2011

As a result of finishing in the top 3 (as per the judges’ scores) in the Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Awards for January, Amy Drysdale, James Poulter and Sonu Bubna became the first three young entrepreneurs to be included in this year’s Shell LiveWIRE ‘Hot 40′ shortlist. The remaining winners, Antony Jinman and Stephanie Macdonald-Walker, will be entered in to a sift to be undertaken by an independent judging panel to complete the Shell LiveWIRE ‘Hot 40′. 

Remember, you must win a Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Award to be considered for the Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2011. You can do this by completing an application form via the Awards page.