Young entrepreneurs in South Lanarkshire urged to apply for a business grant from E3

Young entrepreneurs in South Lanarkshire are being urged to apply for a grant to set up their own business.

Community enterprise project E3 is offering 50 grants of up to £300 as part of its The Give It A Go programme, which will allow young people to test the market with a business.

The programme will help young people aged between 18 to 30 to test a new business idea before starting up to discover if there is already a consumer demand or if their business needs to adapt to meet consumer needs.

E3 works closely with South Lanarkshire Council and aims to engage, inspire and support local people and businesses across the area as part of the UK Community Renewal Fund.

As well as offering grants, the programme includes free digital training and one-to-one mentorship with an expert to provide support and advice.

Cat Ward, programmes manager for Elevator UK, said: “I suppose one of the main benefits is the money, as we have grants of up to £300 that we can give out. But we’ve also got a lot of support there.

“We know it’s scary when you’ve got an idea but you’re not sure whether or not it’s going to work, so along with the grant you will have the support of your E3 team and you will also be assigned your own mentor.

“That mentor is someone who’s been in business before, has done it, has made the mistakes, got the t-shirt and is there to give you the benefit of their experience.

“They’ll give you as much assistance as you need and reassurance that you’re on the right track, and if you’re not on the right track they’ll help you get back to that place that you need to be.

“Any 18 to 30-year-old who is interested in setting up their own business – perhaps they’ve got a hobby or an interest that they think could become a business but don’t know where to get started – this is their chance to dip their toes in the water and test the market.”

The closing date for applying is May 31.