‘Business in You’, a major new campaign aimed at inspiring people to start or grow their own businesses and helping small businesses and entrepeneurs understand the array of information and help available from the Government and private sector has been launched by the Prime Minister today.

The Government and private sector campaign is based on the concept that there is “a business in everyone” and that all businesses can realise their ambitions.

Partners in the campaign include StartUp Britain, the Confederation of British Industry, the British Chamber of Commerce, the Institute of Directors, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Forum of Private Business, the major banks (via the British Bankers’ Association and the Better Business Finance Campaign), the Engineering Employer’s Federation, the Social Enterprise Coalition, Institute of Credit Management, Microsoft, Mitie, Ernst and Young and Grant Thornton.

In further action to help small businesses get off the ground, the Prime Minister has also announcing plans to make empty and under-used Government offices available to small businesses so that they can start up and grow.

There is a wealth of information and help available to SMEs – the Government and the private sector have come together to make sure that small firms and budding entrepreneurs know what is available and to expand the offer, with some of the campaign partners providing free services including workshops, web-based seminars and video tutorials on issues like finance as well as providing mentoring and access to face to face consultancy sessions.

The campaign features a new ‘Business in you’ web portal which will bring together the resources available to business owners and entrepreneurs to help them start or grow their business as well as inspire them with stories of how other people have achieved success.

Each month, the campaign will focus on a different theme relating to start ups and growth including exporting and employment and will highlight the wide range of Government support available; from online advice on Businesslink.gov.uk through to specialist schemes such as the Enterprise Finance Guarantee that underwrites some of the cost of bank loans to SMEs.