Ten budding entrepreneurs have been awarded £2,000 to start their own online business.

The winners were chosen from dozens of entries to the YouTrade competition, which was launched last November to encourage online entrepreneurship in North East England.      

Among the successful pitches to the One NorthEast and North East Regional Portal Dragon’s Den-style panel were business plans for jewellery and accessories, fitness equipment sales and antiques companies.

The winners have now started trading their business online through eBay.

Andy Walton, eBusiness Manager at One NorthEast, said: “YouTrade is a unique region-wide competition aimed at inspiring people to be enterprising and to turn their ideas into something real.

“The 10 lucky winners were chosen because of their impressive business plans and successful pitch, and they have now received their £2,000 prize and have started trading through eBay.

“Another important element is that the ten winners have also been assigned a mentor who can help them develop their business through its early stages.

“It really is an exciting project and I’m delighted One NorthEast has been able to support it financially.”

The finalists will now attend a series of boot camps, which will cover issues pertinent to running a business generally, and also heading up internet businesses.

Norma Foster, chief executive of the North East Regional Portal, which is managing the YouTrade competition, said: “Enterprising people in the North East are an inspiration and an example to us all of how a great idea coupled with creativity and enterprising spirit can become something big.

“As e-business champions we want to encourage and support entrepreneurship in the region by providing support and opportunities for business start-ups to make the most of trading online.

“The winners chosen by the panel now have a fantastic opportunity to make their business an online success. We’ll be supporting them all the way and you never know, amongst the finalists, there could well be a business star of the future.”

In addition to One NorthEast and the North East Regional Portal, partners of the YouTrade competition are Sage (UK) Ltd, eBay, bgroup (UK) ltd, Platform One ltd and BT.

Andy Walton added: “If we are to bridge the productivity gap which currently exists between this region and the rest of the country, we have to increase business start-ups and entrepreneurialism.

“This competition alone has contributed 10 new businesses to the region’s economy, and any one these has the potential to be a real success. Good luck to each of the finalists.”

The ten finalists, and their fields of business, are:

• Deborah Brown of Houghton-le-Spring – vinyl records.
• Kate Dawson of Stanley – jewellery and accessories.
• Melanie Dixon of Dunston – Children’s birthday cards.
• Kelvin Fogerty of Morpeth – eBay broker drop-off shop.
• Adam Hearn of Middleton in Teesdale – Personal rescue equipment.
• Duncan Lawrence of Morpeth – fitness equipment.
• Kevin Newcombe of South Shields – electrical goods.
• Louise Nicol of South Shields – language products.
• Rachel Smith-Wilson of Hexham – antiques.
• Stephen Williams of Newcastle – automotive repair, workshop and service manuals.

The Dragon’s Den panel was made up of Norma Foster, John King, Partnerships Senior Specialist, Robin Moore from Sage, and two SME owners, Angus Charlton of Arboreta and Andy Atkins of Cooks and Kitchens.

Relevant links

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