“It’s our duty as entrepreneurs to get kids into business!”

One thing I really love about entrepreneurs is that they’ve all got a great story.

Take Jamie Murray-Wells, for instance. He launched Glasses Direct from his parent’s house with the last £1000 of his student loan and in doing so rocked the established high street brands boat so much they threatened to drop any suppliers who dared worked with him.

Then there’s everyone’s favourite Dragon slayer, Levi Roots, who joined me at the Young Enterprise Final a couple of weeks ago. His rip-roaring speech about how his grandma’s secret sauce out-sold Heinz ketchup was lapped up by an audience of teenagers, borough mayors and entrepreneurs alike!

Jamie and Levi are well-known examples but I believe that every entrepreneur is inspiring. And I want to harness that power to make setting up a business seem real and achievable to the younger generations.

I’ve been saying for a month or two now that I’m working on a project to help promote business in schools. So here it is: the Two Hour Initiative.

Assuming we all agree (and I think we do) that business people have an extraordinary ability to motivate and inspire, we are then faced by two issues. Most people who would like to use that ability to do some good either don’t know how to go about it or worry that it will take too much time.

The Two Hour Initiative is designed to solve both those problems.

I’m asking you, the UK’s entrepreneurs, to commit two hours of your time every quarter to speak in a school or college about your story.

I think all of us can spare that time. Indeed, I know many entrepreneurs who already do more than that. I’m tired of hearing people say the Government isn’t doing enough to bring through the next generation of entrepreneurs. It’s not very entrepreneurial to wait for the Government to act is it? It’s time the business community pulled together and made something happen.

Find two hours you can spare somewhere between September and December and watch this space: I’ll come looking for you.

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