The Entrepreneurs' Alliance uncovered

With more entrepreneurs in Britain than ever before it is perhaps little surprise that there have been calls of late for the creation of an entrepreneurs' union, representing their voice and opinions at government level.
 
Doug Richard, of Dragons' Den fame, has proposed such a union in the past and, most recently, City AM editor, Allister Heath, has called for a "slick, professional pressure group relentlessly fighting for wealth creators and promoting mass entrepreneurship".
 
As a consequence of this, the leaders of a number of existing influential groups that already represent small businesses have joined forces to create the Entrepreneurs’ Alliance.
 
The alliance has been formed to pool their power and understanding of the small business community to remove the obstacles constructed by an economy too focused on the demands of big business.
 
Those leaders include:

• Emma Jones, founder, Enterprise Nation

• Clive Lewis, head of enterprise, ICAEW

• Megan Downey, manager, School for StartUps

• Alex Jackman, head of policy, Forum of Private Business

• Dawn Whiteley, chief executive, National Enterprise Network

• Matt Smith, director, Centre for Entrepreneurs

• Dan Martin, editor, BusinessZone.co.uk and UKBusinessForums.co.uk

• Graeme Fisher, head of policy, Federation of Small Businesses

• Philip Salter, director, The Entrepreneurs Network

To date there has been no distinct single group of business leaders to rival the lobbying power of big businesses. It is felt a union of entrepreneurial expertise would encourage a working environment in which self-starters could challenge long-established business models and avoid suffocating red tape and regulation.
 
In its open letter to Allister Heath and the UK media, the Entrepreneurs’ Alliance confirmed its first action will be to pressure Government to ensure the statistics regarding the number and contribution of small firms is suitably accounted for.
 
Over 2.5 million small and micro businesses now exist in the UK and it is therefore essential that a unified body exists to help make Britain a more entrepreneurial place. This week’s Global Entrepreneurship Week 2013 suggests more people than ever want to start their own business and it's important to empower the younger generation to take its destiny in its own hands.

Date published 19 Nov 2013 | Last updated 19 Nov 2013