The big reveal...

We will be revealing the 2011 Faces of Entrepreneurship on this page on Thursday morning - please stay tuned!

Meet our finalists

Meet our finalists in the flesh and find out how they got on at the Entrepreneurs' Forum's Annual Conference, SEVEN

This video is taken from our brand new TV channel which seeks to add to the voice of the region’s emerging entrepreneurial talent by creating an opportunity to share their news and views, wisdom and perspectives.

http://www.ifwecanyoucan.tv/home/playlist/resource/EXUX-3JQB-XPWH-D2AL-BW4O

Challenge 2010 Finalists are revealed

Wow – what a tough job our judges had across the region!

But all made worthwhile because we got to meet some amazing people at the 'Pick Our Brains' Opportunity Panels and have some great discussions about their ideas and businesses. We hope everyone who took part took away some valuable food for thought and maybe even a few actions.

Thanks again to our judges. We’re planning to hold some none-competitive panels so please let us know if you’d like to get involved in the future – on either side of the table!

To find out who the finalists are, please visit www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/challenge

Don’t forget that you can vote in all seven media regions – and voting is simple. All you need to do is either email your selections to Stephen or text 07624 803 199.
(Voting closes at 12 midnight on June 13th - and no multiple votes please!!!)

We’ve set up blogs and twitter accounts for all of the finalists – and even though some are new to the world of social media there are already some great posts. You can access their blogs through the Challenge page.

So good luck everyone! And please tell your friends, family and colleagues about these 14 inspirational entrepreneurs – let’s make this as viral as possible and make sure as many people as possible in the region and beyond (we’ve had votes from all over the world) know about the great things that are happening in the North East.

Rules on voting

Hi everyone,

Hope you're all enjoying reading about our fantastic finalists (and their often humerous blogging!)

We just wanted to make clear that we can only accept one vote per person for both text and email voting (you can vote for as many finalists as you like, but your vote for each will only be counted once), so therefore multiple texts and emails for one person we won't be able to accept.

Voting will close promptly at midnight on the 13th of June.

Please accept our humble apoligies for not making this as clear as it should have been

The IWCYC team

All 'Rural' Challenge enquiries this way

For a number of reasons, we have had to delay the North East's 'Rural Entrepreneur of the Year' which is part of the If we can, you can Challenge by two months. So you can still enter for this award and be in with a chance of being crowned the 'Rural Face of Entrepreneurship 2011' if you are based in a rural part of the North East. Entries will close at midnight on the 3rd July and you can enter if you are thinking about starting a business, in the beginning phases of setting one up, or if you are an established business and are looking to grow and take your business in a new direction.

Unfortunately you cannot enter online for this award, but if you would like some more information and a copy of the entry form, please email hazel@entrepreneursforum.net or call 0191 2267491 to chat to us.

Best wishes,

The If we can, you can team

Emergency contact details over the bank holiday weekend

As we go into the last few days of the entry period for the If we can, you can Challenge and head into the long weekend, we just wanted to provide extra contact details just in case anybody has any questions about entering. The deadline for all entries is midnight on the 3rd May.

Please email hazel@entrepreneursforum.net or stephen@entrepreneursforum.net any time and we will endeavour to respond as quickly as we physically can. You can also contact us on our mobile numbers - Hazel 07771 330328 and Stephen 07970 512413

Have a great weekend everybody!

Not much time left!

As we come to the final week of the entry period for the 3rd If we can, you can Challenge, we just thought we would take the opportunity to reflect on what’s been an amazing, exciting, challenging and fulfilling few months here at Entrepreneurs’ Forum HQ. It’s not that the rest of the year for us is dull, unimaginative and, well, unfulfilling, it’s just that we always look forward to this time of year due to all the new people and businesses we get to meet and be inspired by, and this year has been no exception.

Take for example the words of just a handful of entrants to the Challenge so far. Here’s a pick of what they had to say to the difficult question, “What are your aims and aspirations?” in their entry forms:

“I can see the business growing with local support and with people outside of the area that will help our local rural community and help promote enterprise and stimulate our economy. I would like to see my business create enough revenue to allow more employees, a premises to operate from instead of my home and new opportunities to form for myself and others. I have said in the past that I would like to become a commoner when I retire but try to live life to the full and to challenge myself in places that would be beneficial to obtaining new markets and seeking to help others.”

“A vision is something that I think is very hard to put into words. My 'vision' of where I see myself in five or ten years' time is something very personal to me - I know what I want to do with my life, and that is what drives me, and to write that down would be a very hard thing to do. I want to do big things; I want to influence lives and have a positive impact on the world.”

“My ambition is simply to grow a good strong solid company that may possibly employ people in the future, and create a working environment that promotes lateral thinking within the work force.”

“I want to do well and be happy with what I have achieved. What I have also learnt is that there are so many great and successful people out there who give their time and who work tirelessly for other disadvantaged people. I aspire to be like them and to do the same. If ever my business was to take off I would not hesitate to do likewise....if I fail to do this you can give me a stern telling off but it shouldn't happen :D”

“I feel that with enough hard work, determination and the right ideas I will establish and run a number of successful businesses whilst also in time investing in and nurturing new business talent.”

“I want to be a successful business woman. I want to be financially independent and be able to provide for my mother and daughter. I also want to be a great role model for my 12 year old daughter and demonstrate that a lot of hard work goes a long way and does pay off. I'm now taking my first steps towards fulfilling these goals and ambitions, but I know I have a huge amount of work to do before I get there and the vision will evolve and change - nothing is ever set in stone.”

Inspiring stuff we know you’ll agree. It seems that we’ll continue to have our socks knocked off by the amount of sheer passion, dedication and bloody mindedness of the North East’s entrepreneurs – no matter how experienced they are, if they’re in the process of making their business happen or they’re exploring new opportunities to grow, it seems there’s no barrier too high or learning curve too steep. That’s what sums up the region’s entrepreneurial spirit it seems, and it’s part of our job to continue to nurture and encourage that and keep the entrepreneurial beacon shining brightly in our region.

In spite of the current climate, there are plenty of opportunities and the ‘can do’ entrepreneurial spirit shown by previous winners of the ‘If we can, you can’ Challenge is a shining example of this.

For example, when 2009 Middlesbrough Evening Gazette winner Louise Bell won the Challenge she was just starting her home spray tanning business, Healthy Glow. She says, “Since winning the Challenge the business has moved forward more than I could have imagined. I was really pretty naïve and probably didn’t know much about running a business, but I knew I had something worth pushing and the determination to get Healthy Glow going, whatever it took. I’ve got two Healthy Glow franchisees in place – in Darlington and Stokesley. The Challenge has given me so much confidence to trust my instinct, get on with it and not let any hurdle stand in my way. I know there are lots more opportunities and lots of challenges to come but the ‘tada’ moments keep coming – and long may it continue.”

There’s still time left to enter the Challenge and be crowned our 2010 winner but not much! You have until the 3rd of May (midnight) to log on at www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/challenge and put yourself forward.

To see what previous finalists have said about being involved with the Challenge, click here

More details of the format of the competition and the all important prizes can be found on this page too. Good luck to all.