Brilliant Burnley entrepreneurs set out big ideas for future of town to rising stars

A socially distanced event at The Landmark in Burnley was hailed a huge success, with attendees especially impressed with the historic building's facilities which have become a great asset to the business community of East Lancashire.

Attendees listened to inspirational stories from top businesspeople, and then broke off into socially distanced smaller groups to put their questions to the experts.

"In Burnley we like to take things into our own hands" sais Mark Crabtree OBE, director of The Landmark and main organiser of the event.

Mr Crabtree has set himself the mission of promoting a ‘can do' attitude and entrepreneurial spirit in local residents made redundant because of the covid health crisis.

He is one of Burnley's most successful businessmen and the man behind The Landmark. His message was clear and simple. If you've been made redundant, you're not alone, and if you've got a business idea now is the perfect time to set out on the way to starting a company.

It's a well-trodden path, but with the facilities available at The Landmark, and the level of support up for grabs, there's never been a better time to start a business.

"Forty years ago when I started my own firm the UK was in a similar situation economically to where we are now. Unemployment was on the rise and people were worried about the future. Back then there was no support for new businesses. Now there's a fantastic amount of help available, and we're bringing as much of it as possible into one place."

The kind of advice on offer for free at The Landmark yesterday, and the calibre of the panel, is testament to Mr Crabtree's vision.

Speakers at the event were:

Mark Crabtree OBE, the founder of The Landmark

Simon Brierley, East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce

Andrew Leeming, Boost Business Lancashire

Neil Burrows, Assistant Principal of Burnley College, representing Themis

Patrick Byrne, Barclays Eagle Labs

Murray Dawson, Managing Director, Scott Dawson Advertising

Each speaker introduced themselves and their organisations. They spoke about their own experiences in business and discussed the different support packages on offer.

One of the main points to come up was that start-ups sometimes struggle to portray themselves as professional organisations. New companies need great products and services, but they also need to inspire confidence and that begins with operating from a professional location.

Leah Pilkington, one of the attendees at the event, said: "I was made redundant and now I want to start a business that supports people in different ways. I felt out of my depth but now I've spoken to Mark I feel like I can do this. I can make it happen."

Another enterprising attendee was Michael Blackburn, he was recently made redundant and wants to start his own business:

He said: "I've never run a business before, and I feel like I need a lot of support so somewhere like this ideal."

Andrew Leeming, Boost Business Lancashire, explained about the services on offer from Boost: "We are a business growth hub led by Lancashire County Council with funding from the European Regional Development Fund. We're offering expert support to help you start, manage and grow your business."

New start-ups working from domestic residences have problems in terms of logistics and visiting clients. That's one of the benefits of working somewhere like The Landmark. It means that from just £20 a month, new businesses can have an impressive location to base their operations.

They can also benefit from a resident accountant, lawyers, and financial advice in the form of Barclays Eagle Labs.

For more information about The Landmark and the support packages on offer to entrepreneurs contact The Landmark directly on 01282 940095 or visit the website for full contact details www.landmarkburnley.co.uk

If you weren't able to attend the event there is a short video available here: https://www.facebook.com/LandmarkBurnley/videos/382832733101469/