YO! founder supports young entrepreneur in the North West
13/04/2006
"I think kids are growing up in school and thinking to themselves, actually, I don't have to get on that career corporate ladder, it's probably just as safe to go off and start something."
Tom Stanley met Simon following his involvement with the Hotshots Entrepreneurs Academy, a programme supported by NESTA (National Endowment
for Science, Technology and the Arts), which aims to encourage entrepreneurship amongst young people in the Merseyside area.
Tom is one of 12 school pupils, whittled down from 1200, who was invited to attend a residential academy in the Lake District,
coinciding with Enterprise Week 05. This academy was a hothouse for honing the entrepreneurial skills and the business plans
of the young people involved.
Simon has long been an advocate of improving the climate for entrepreneurship in the young:
"I think it's an amazing time in history; there's virtually no precedent of any government in history setting out to promote an entrepreneurial society. I think kids are growing up in school and thinking to themselves, actually, I don't have to get on that career corporate ladder, it's probably just as safe to go off and start something."
Tom sells a music-making package in kit form, which enables amateur musicians to create their own music. He said of his time with Simon:
"It's been fantastic. I've had a great time. The most valuable thing I've learnt from Simon is how to take my ideas to the next level."
ENDS