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From a business plan to a worldwide brand: Expert advice for start-ups from leading names in global entrepreneurship

  • "Small Business, Global Ambitions" role model event on Wednesday 19 November run by the British Library Business & IP Centre
  • Part of a packed programme for Enterprise Week 2008, 17-21 November
  • Learn from and be inspired by seasoned entrepreneurs at a trying time for small businesses

It doesn't matter whether your business is big or small; anyone with a flair for creativity, hard work and the right research can go global. Budding entrepreneurs will have a unique chance to quiz the founders of four global companies at the Business & IP Centre's Small Business, Global Ambitions on Wednesday 19 November:

  • Brent Hoberman, co-founder of lastminute.com, and the man behind the online interiors site mydeco
  • Asif Rangoonwala, founder of baked good suppliers Eurobuns, the exclusive European supplier for KFC among others
  • Dawn Gibbins MBE, founder of the Flowcrete flooring - with offices in 26 countries - and the Barefoot brands that combine wellbeing and lifestyle with sharp business acumen
  • Richard Woods, co-founder of DIY Kyoto and inventor of the 'Wattson', the energy monitor that tells you how much electricity your home is using, with distribution deals around the world
  • Moderator: Matthew Rock, founder-editor of Real Business, the UK's leading magazine for entrepreneurs.

The event is held from 18.15 until 21.00 at the British Library Conference Centre on Wednesday 19 November. Tickets cost £10.00 (concessions £7.50).

Frances Taylor, the British Library Business & IP Centre's Marketing Manager, says: "This event provides inspiration and ideas for all entrepreneurs and start-ups, starving to hear about something else than the credit crunch and recession. It is an essential, information-packed evening for anyone who wants to learn how to expand the horizons of their business."

The 'Inspiring Entrepreneurs' series is supported by the HSBC bank, the world's local bank.

The event forms part of Enterprise Week 2008. Between 17 and 21 November the Business & IP Centre will run a full programme of workshops and events, with sessions on entering new markets, how to protect your ideas in different countries, trading and manufacturing outside the UK and special days dedicated to female inventors and social entrepreneurs.

For further information and press enquiries please contact Suvi Kankainen at the British Library Press Office (telephone +44 (0)20 7412 7105, email: suvi.kankainen@bl.uk) or Ben Sanderson (telephone +44 (0)1937 546126, email: ben.sanderson@bl.uk)

Notes for Editors

1. Other highlights during Enterprise Week 2008 at the Library

  • Rising to the Challenge: Top Women Innovators Reveal How They Did It
    Wednesday 19 November 10.30 - 13.30
  • Celebrating Social Enterprise Day with Red Ochre
    Thursday 20 November 10.00 - 13.00 and 14.00 - 17.00
    With Uday Thacker of Red Ochre, Social Enterprise Mentor of the Year 2008.

2. The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It provides world-class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. Further information is available on the Library's website at www.bl.uk, which currently receives almost 2 million 'hits' or visits per month.

3. The British Library Business & IP Centre is supported by the London Development Agency to provide a single access point to support entrepreneurs and SMEs in London to gain access to and exploit existing and new business and IP information, and other relevant content and data, guided by impartial Library information experts and associated partners. The Business & IP Centre has been used by over 30,000 people since it opened in March 2006. An independent survey of 230 users in 2007 showed that it helped create 47 new companies, took a further 48 to start-up and helped create 115 new jobs. Access to the Centre is free, but users need a Reader Pass ; for more information visit: www.bl.uk/bipc.