Aylesbury entrepreneur highlights importance of role models in business
Innovation UK wants to encourage businesses to support young talent
An Aylesbury entrepreneur is highlighting the importance of role models after winning an Innovation Award.
It's recently been found that the influence of entrepreneurial role-models can play a significant factor in determining the success of young people getting into business.
Research by Innovate UK revealed that 67% of small business owners are inspired by successful people from the same background and industry as themselves.
Additionally, it showed that 78% of female business owners didn’t see role models who are women, and over half (54%) of people from ethnic minorities didn’t have role models the same ethnicity as them.
Innovate UK is now pushing the message of representation and inclusivity for businesses, recognising the importance of young people's voices and their influence on inspiring the next generation.
The Young Innovators Awards has now been set up to help drive young people's business careers forward and give them a platform to bring their ideas to life.
The winners received a £5,000 grant, a year’s living allowance, and one-on-one business coaching, and Innovate UK also runs a campaign to raise the profile of the winners to inspire other young people into innovation.
Daisy, 21, from Aylesbury was crowned one of last years 'Young Entrepreneurs Innovation Award' winners:
"I've always had strong women in my life who have taught me to make good decisions regarding ethics and sustainability.
"I worked in a vintage shop and the creative director of where I worked was very inspiring to me because of her ethics and her business and the good decisions that she made."