Island Business Online

The Original Canvas Bucket Bag Company is a new business on the Isle of Wight, a joint venture between friends Becky Samuelson and Nicola Price, selling 100 per cent cotton canvas bucket bags with rope handles which fold flat when not in use.

The South East of England is set to become a land of opportunity for older people in the next five years, writes Business Link South East.

There is less than a month left to nominate someone for the Shell Young Entrepreneur of the Year as the closing date for entries is 5 September.

First Voice is looking for potential candidates for a feature about 'mum or dad-preneurs'.

Business Link clinics will be open from 3 August, at the Innovation Centre, Newport, to offer free business support services to enterprises on the Isle of Wight.

Island entrepreneurs Rob and Mart Drake-Knight, the brothers behind the groundbreaking eco-fashion brand Rapanui, have launched a new company calling on other businesses to boost their eco credentials.

The European Research Council (ERC) has now funded over 1,000 innovative ideas and a further 661 million euros is still available for early-career researchers.

Samuel Stockley, just 21 years old, delivered his pitch in brilliant style on Saturday, 10 July at the University of Portsmouth and became the deserved winner of the PIPEline Programme.

Some new ideas are born out of necessity and others simply appear because the creation of other products and services enable them to happen, writes the Solent Innovation and Growth Team.

A new skippered yacht charter business on the Isle of Wight is putting the emphasis on fun, with no hidden extras.

Launched in May, notinthewightstreet.com, is bringing together many small independent Island retailers and local creative talents to offer a multitude of unique and special gifts for sale all in one place.

Fourteen potential entrepreneurs have qualified for the next round of the Dragon's Den style PIPEline (Portsmouth Integrated Programme for Enterprise) project.

If you know a business that deserves national recognition then you can nominate them for the UK's premier small business awards, the HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards.

The Prince's Trust is urging young people from The Isle of Wight and Hampshire to join a new course aimed at getting the region's young people into business.

The European Commission (EC) is focussed on getting the EU economy kick-started again, and apart from agreeing an economic strategy for 2020, the EC is also making available a 100 million Euro micro-finance facility to help the unemployed to start small businesses, reports Enterprise Europe Network South East.

In today's challenging economic environment, technology start-ups can struggle to bring new ideas to market.

This week has seen the launch of Island-based fashion brand Vela Blu whose website was designed and built by Isle of Wight design company Pepper Creative.

The concept of a self-sufficient Island lies at the heart of an award-winning business that is on the verge of expansion.

An eco fashion brand set up two years ago on the Isle of Wight with just £200 has reached the finals of the national 'Enterprising Young Brits' competition.

A new Island business is aiming to eradicate the dreaded seminar disease, 'death by Powerpoint'...

Risk management consultant Ian Gilmour has hit the water with something completely different, a sportsboat charter business that is designed to take the risk out of getting afloat.

The Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce, Tourism and Industry have lined up plenty of opportunities for members to network, interact, enjoy informal contact, or simply to have a relaxing break from the pressures of business.

'Make Your Mark in the Markets' is a competition to give two people the opportunity to turn their entrepreneurial ideas into reality and start trading on a market of their choice for six months for free!

Free places are available on two half day seminars designed to provide all the support needed to start your own business, writes the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce.

New entrepreneurs who have firm plans to set up their own business or have started a business within the last three years, as well as experienced entrepreneurs who own or manage an SME in the EU, are being sort to take part in a European exchange programme.

Here's a chance for a small business looking to grow to get six months free trading.

The Daily Mail Enterprising Young Brits Awards gives you the chance to share your idea and compete for money-can't-buy profile and prizes.

Take part in the European Entrepreneurship Video Awards, where producers of the best videos will receive cash prizes and be invited to a special awards ceremony in Brussels.

The China UK Entrepreneurship Challenge aims to encourage new business ventures between China and the UK and to simulate the real-world process of entrepreneurs soliciting start-up funds from early-stage investors and venture capitalists, reports the Solent Innovation and Growth Team.