Entrepreneurs from across the region will be extolling the virtues of launching a business as part of a series of events celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week.
The campaign underscores the value of start-up companies as the UK's wealth creators and innovators with a series of events from November 16-22.
To mark the week, enterprise agency NWES will be holding a free networking session with guest speaker James Skilton from creative agency Hyperpixel at Dragon Fly House, Norwich, on Tuesday November 17 from 12-2pm.
Businesswomen can also take part in the Spark! Business bootcamp at the University of East Anglia Sportspark on November 17 from 9.30am to 3pm.
Led by Prowess, the UEA and Norwich City Council, the event will include workshops and presentation from a 'How they did it' panel featuring local businesswomen, including Emily Groves of Indigo Swan and musician and social entrepreneur Anna Mudeka.
The number of small-and-medium-sized (SME) businesses reached 5.2 million last year, according to a parliamentary report.
About 20pc of SMEs in the UK are owned by women, a study by the Department of Business Innovation and Skills has found.
Last year, Norwich-based NWES helped launch more than 650 firms and supported a further 200 fully-fledged businesses.
Kevin Horne, chief executive of NWES, said: 'One of the best definitions of an entrepreneur I've found is 'someone who exercises initiative by organising a venture to take advantage of an opportunity'.
'In Norfolk in 2013, 99.7pc of registered businesses were SMEs employing fewer than 250 people and 82.5pc of these employed less than 10 people.
'Every one of these business owners and employers has the entrepreneurial spirit we need to maintain growth in our economy and it is NWES's job to support this.'
The Spark! Business bootcamp is aimed at women with no business experience, as well as those who have already started a company.
Erika Watson of Prowess, a Norwich-based online hub supporting women in business, said: 'Spark! gives women a day to really work on their business or idea and shift it on a gear. More women are becoming self-employed than ever – Spark! aims to help them get started on a firmer footing.'
For more information about Global Entrepreneurship Week and to register to attend the NWES networking event, visit www.nwes.org.uk, call 0845 609 9991, or email info@nwes.org.uk
To take part in the Spark! event, visit sparknorwich.eventbrite.com
Are you launching a new business in the region? Email ben.woods@archant.co.uk
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