Trevor Baylis, inventor of the ClockWork Radio, believes we ‘need to create a culture in the UK which encourages and nurtures innovation across all groups in society’.
Referring in particular to an older generation of potential entrepreneurs who have built up a wealth of career experience, Baylis thinks these are the people who can ‘act on business ideas quickly and effectively’
He adds: “It seems to me that chance favours the prepared mind and I see some of the best innovations coming from this group. But we can help our olderpreneurs further by making sure that appropriate support and advice networks are in place so that great ideas become a reality.”
With the exception of using the term olderpreneurs, I’m in full support of Trevor’s views. (The same goes for mumpreneurs I might add. Not only is it patronising, but it simply doesn’t roll of the tongue nicely! I’ll let ecopreneurs slide – it sounds alright).
Baylis’ comments coincided with the launch of a new report which suggests the economy is set to lose £15bn by 2012 by not nurturing our hidden innovators – namely older people, ethnic minority groups and disabled entrepreneurs.
We hear so frequently from the government that if the UK had the same level of entrepreneurialism among women as the US does, we’d have an extra 750,000 companies.
Perhaps for that reason, Alistair Darling announced a £12.5m capital fund to encourage female entrepreneurship. Ignoring for a second that it’s such a measly amount it’s probably not even worth it, there’s still movement on government’s part to support women business owners.
Maybe someone should tell Darling its time for a few more capital funds aimed at our ‘hidden innovators’? Might earn him a few billion in the long run.
