News

November 30, 2009

Manchester’s olderpreneurs offered free start-up advice

Enterprising people aged 50 or more could benefit an afternoon of practical advice from experts being offered at a free event in Manchester on 9 December.

The Olderpreneur Roadshow, hosted by over-50s entrepreneurial support group PRIME, will include speeches and advice from successful entrepreneurs in their 50s and 60s, including Lyn Siddle, founder of Portland Hall Spa in Southport, and Jackie Hatton, who set up Country Cousins Lifestyle Gift Shop.

There will be a workshop on making the most of the internet to run a business, information from Business Link about free local business support, a Q&A session with experts and a chance to network with other ‘olderpreneurs’.

The event is aimed at those who have a business idea and those who have firmer plans and are preparing to launch. The emphasis will be on helping people to decide whether self-employment is right for them.

“In the UK, at least three million 50 to 65-year-olds are not working, according to the Office of National Statistics,” said PRIME chief executive, Laurie South. “Their creativity, experience and ingenuity is being unfairly discarded.

“As a result, many people are now seriously considering self-employment and looking for opportunities they can provide for themselves,” he added.

Commenting on the importance of the over-50s to the economy, PRIME founder, HRH Prince Charles, said: “The experience and skills people build up over a lifetime are an invaluable resource. It is madness for society not to make use of this.”

• For more information and to book a free place at the event, visit the PRIME website.