By now most of us are aware of the myriad benefits young entrepreneurs can bring to UK plc. (And if you don’t, you can read our feature here) By supporting budding business owners from the get-go, we can help future-proof the economy. This is just one of the reasons successful entrepreneurs Richard Branson and Innocent founder Richard Reed have got behind Tenner, a national competition to find the brightest and best of young British business talent.
Tenner – now in its fifth year – gives recipients, as the name would suggest, £10 to ‘do something enterprising, make a difference and give back’. The scheme is run by Young Enterprise, the country’s largest enterprise education charity.
Michael Mercieca, chief executive of Young Enterprise said the organisation is “delighted” to be involved with the scheme. “Tenner’s competition strapline, ‘it’s in your hands’, really encapsulates our philosophy to give young people a chance to explore their entrepreneurial instincts and desire for community improvements in any direction they choose,” said Mercieca.
And Mercieca isn’t the only one extolling the virtues of sowing entrepreneurial seeds early on. This year, superstar entrepreneurs Richard Branson and Richard Reed have been giving their thoughts on youth enterprise and what they’d do with their tenner, and you can see the resulting videos.
Tenner has come a long way since its formative years thanks to social entrepreneur, Number Ten regular and all-round nice guy Oli Barrett. With him on side, the nation’s young entrepreneurs are already onto a winner. 
