Shell LiveWIRE

Another support organisation for young people (16 to 30) who want to start up and develop their own business. Shell LiveWIRE (yes, Shell as in Petrol) was set up in 1982 and also hosts a national competition for business start ups. Not a site to look at first thing in the morning; the home page is bright and flashy. However the information is there, set out in simple terms, with plenty of links to further sites.


SPECIAL FEATURES


The Big Trip covers a breakdown of the skills young entrepreneurs will need (manager, salesperson, worker, admin) and includes a link to a Shell LiveWIRE specialist adviser. There is a list of questions to ask yourself before you start (with a link to request a free Business Kit) and a quiz to find out what sort of person you are; FAQs include ‘who are my potential customers?’ and ‘why should I keep financial records?’ with very brief answers.


E-Commerce is covered thoroughly with Q & As as well as links to sites like Web Monkey, eCommerce News and www.isi.gov.uk. There are book recommendations and a link to the sites discussion forum, Business Bites.