Martin Prodger's Business Britain: the most important vote you will ever cas
Martin Prodger is among the front runners to win Richard Branson's Pitch to Rich - a competition that encourages ideas for small businesses. Business Britain - Prodger's brainchild - has received a great deal of attention, particularly because of its aim to help small businesses gain access to valuable training and expert advice, all from the comfort of their own home. He believes that there is a communication gap between organisations and mentors, and that his TV channel would be instrumental in reducing this distance and offering new businesses the resources they desperately need.
The idea itself is undeniably unique, and will not only save small business owners money, but will also glamorise the process of starting a company, with many celebrities set to be recruited as ambassadors for this fresh initiative. Viewers would learn everything from pitching ideas and creating a business plan, to the day-to-day running of a company and how to motivate staff. Added to this is the fact that Business Britain would be available on Freeview as well as Sky, Virgin, and TalkTalk, meaning that nobody would miss out on the wealth of knowledge on offer. The channel would even be accessible on the move, with an iPlayer facility smashing down any geographical barriers.
A company spokesperson recently took time out to speak about the driving motivation behind Mr. Prodger's idea and to appeal for the votes he needs:
"Business in Britain is presently undergoing a major revolution. We now have over 5 million registered small businesses and over half a million new start-ups last year alone. More and more people are taking the plunge and starting out on their own which truly defines us as an entrepreneurial nation. But the simple fact is that the more that start, the more that then go on to fail - there were over 250,000 failures in 2014 and if nothing changes then that number will grow and grow. We must therefore do more to help our entrepreneurs and start-ups go on to grow and thrive.
"We believe that there is a communications gap between the wonderful community of organisations, trainers, coaches and mentors that offer help and the ability of the small business owner to understand what help they need and go on to take it. We aim to bridge that gap with a new TV and online channel bringing together the very best of British business talent. Operating on Freeview, Sky, Virgin and TalkTalk and complete with our own 'iplayer' service and viewed on PCs, tablet, phones and mobile devices, we will become the home of British business on TV. The benefits for the nation will be huge. We are now announcing the channel to link in with Pitch to Rich, Sir Richard Branson's competition, to find the very best new entrepreneurs that Britain has to offer. Like Richard, we also believe that our future will be driven by the success of our future business leaders and we want to do everything we can to support them. So please support our future. Go to BusinessBritain.org, watch our video and then 'Click for Britain' - make your vote count NOW."
A business idea is always that much better when there is genuine good intention behind it, and with young people more disconsolate than ever before, a helping hand like this is surely more than welcome. It seems as though a vote for Business Britain is also a vote for a future filled with more businesses and more entrepreneurs. No matter how many resources are out there, would-be business owners will of course struggle to find them all, and this initiative is the perfect solution.