If there’s one thing that the Prince’s Trusts proves, it’s that you’re never too young to be a business owner. Helping disadvantaged young people across the UK, the Prince’s Trust can give youngster between the ages of 18 and 30 the chance to turn their lives around and set up their own shop – online or otherwise.
As always, this year saw another group of talented young individuals rewarded for their determination – from beauty bars to art groups, the Prince’s Trust has seen the birth of a wealth of innovative young businesses; all set up by people who didn’t have such a good start in life.
So who shone this year? Can the Prince’s Trust help you set up your own company?
From little acorns…
The Prince’s Trust offers support to unemployed young people by offering advice in the start-up and offering access to funding. In order to apply for the Prince’s Trust, you must:
- Be aged between 18 and 30
- Be unemployed, or work less than 16 hours per week
- Live in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
- Have a business idea
- You are not eligible if you are on a gap year, graduated less than six months before application or have a postgraduate degree.
Companies set up with the help of the Prince’s Trust in this year’s awards include:
At the age of 26, Vanessa Good wanted to start up a travel business. Having previously studied marketing, she was able to approach the Trust with her idea. After a lot of work and determination, she recently bought three foreign exchange outlets.
After considerable personal setbacks, 25-year-old Jemma Cooper struggled to get her beauty business idea off the ground. With the help and guidance of the Prince’s Trust, she now has two awards for her beauty parlour and is looking to branch off into another business.
Twenty four-year-old Jasmine Hetherington-Wilkes struggled with unemployment and cripplingly low self-esteem, but knew that she wanted to set up a video production company. Now, she’s the proud owner of a host of awards and Boko Creative lays claim to a host of A-list brands.
The Prince’s Trust Celebrate Success Awards reached their 10th year this year. Prince Charles, turning 65 this year, expressed his delight in the progress of his Trust, which was founded more than 30 years ago:
“I think, remarkably determined and actually courageous young people, who take on a real challenge to set up a business.”
“I hope you understand – you probably do, all of you – the reward it gives me and the pride I feel when they all have success, those who have real success, but particularly when they come back round again and provide support for other young people who are starting, and come back as mentors.”
Applying for the help of the Prince’s Trust
If you think that you could be eligible for the help of the Prince’s Trust, or you want more information on how to apply for one of their courses or programmes, you can apply online here.
Photo credit: Hawkins/Brown
