A BUSINESS centre in Potters Bar has launched an innovative new facility to help entrepreneurs and fledgling businesses get started on the road to success.
councillor Morris Bright, business advisor Jeremy GreenMy Incubator was officially opened on Friday, following a £250,000 makeover at the Enterprise Centre in Cranborne Road.
The facility provides a full range of support and workspace for pre-start, new or early stage businesses and social enterprises, completely free, for the first three months.
The revamp was made possible thanks to a successful bid for funding by enterprise agency Wenta, which saw Hertsmere Borough Council’s Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) Hertsmere Together and the East of England Development Agency split the cost of the work.
It is Wenta’s fourth business incubation centre, after centres in Luton, Stevenage and Watford.
“I have no doubt it will be a huge success because it’s been put together for the right reasons, by people who understand small businesses.
“The job now is to get the message out that this facility is open.”
Wenta chief executive Chris Pichon added: “We needed to develop a new way to help people start up, manage and run their own business.
“Every single penny we spent here was spent within Hertfordshire. That’s a significant way to boost your local economy.”
Several new businesses have already taken advantage of the Enterprise Centre’s new hub.
Michael Cardi, from Welwyn, is in the process of setting up online business www.ibuy gadgets.co.uk, which buys and sells used mobiles, laptops, MP3 players and other gadgets.
He is using the Potters Bar offices to get set up.
The 26-year-old dad-of-one said: “For the first three months I’m not paying rent, so I’m going to use the time to build the website and hopefully after that I’ll move into one of Wenta’s small offices upstairs.
“They’re going to point me in the right direction and hopefully in a year’s time I’ll be trading well.”
* Call The Enterprise Centre on 01707 800240 for more information about My Incubator.
