Budding entrepreneurs starting out in the business world will be able to draw on the support of a new service that is being launched with the help of the South East England Development Agency (Seeda) and various professional advisers.

Budding entrepreneurs starting out in the business world will be able to draw on the support of a new service that is being launched with the help of the South East England Development Agency (Seeda) and various professional advisers.

The service – called Business Boffins – aims to provide advice and support to people who may have the latest technical know-how in a discipline such as engineering or electronics, but who do not necessarily have the management experience to turn that expertise into a business success.

Entrepreneurs will be able to draw on the support of the Business Boffins service for a total of three years. Every month during this period a package of information, combining the resources of Oxford Brookes University Business School and professional advisers, will be sent to start-ups ventures. The packages will be structured to provide the relevant advice needed at different stages of development. For instance, in the first month the information will relate to the intricacies and difficulties of starting a business from scratch, while in month 12 the advice will give detailed instructions on statutory accounts. In addition, businesses will also get a monthly report on the latest happenings in their particular sector and in business in general.

According to Russell Smith, managing director of Business Boffins, the service is not just about teaching young business people about financial figures. Says Smith, “We are not trying to turn people into accountants. We aim to give [entrepreneurs] the information they need at the point they need it. The idea is to help avoid all the classic mistakes. We want to give them the best possible chance of making a sustainable business.”

Along with the monthly pack, there will be parallel on-line support. This will include access to information via the Business Boffins InfoPortal, a frequently-asked-questions database and a library of information links, both of which are searchable. An accompanying on-line ‘Orchis emag’ will have features on business life, members and more. Through ‘Troubleshooter’, entrepreneurs can e-mail questions, which will be routed to one of Business Boffins’ advisers, who will then respond via Business Boffins.

Monthly membership fees are £49.95 plus VAT, and a yearly subscription is £495 plus VAT. Certain companies in the Seeda region, from a variety of business sectors, will be eligible for free membership to the scheme for a year, as part of a pilot phase.

The service is to be launched in full in October 2001, but start-ups from all over the country can pre-register now at www.businessboffins.com .

With thanks to Lloyds TSB Success4Business. For more news and information visit www.success4business.com .