Instead of heading for the beach in cooler climate this summer budding entrepreneurs could be checking into heading to summer schools in London, Sheffield and Leeds to launch their start up business. Startup courses costing from £100 to £6,000 is being offered to would be small business owners who can tap into the skills of experienced business people.

Past courses have produced a healthy crop of business startups that include an African airline to a student promotions company in Yorkshire.

It’s true to say that a university education does not encourage entrepreneurship however; the courses on offer are designed to be practical with presentations from bank managers, accountants and solicitors
According to Martijn Mugge, who organises the Sheffield course, “Universities are good at teaching about entrepreneurship but not teaching for it. You can’t tell people the rules of football, for example, and then expect them to play like David Beckham”.
While summer school startup initiatives should be encouraged they do not provide the resources that start up companies need to overcome the challenges in the critical two to three years in business, when 95% of small businesses fail.
The problems I with these schemes include:

· No ongoing mentoring from successful entrepreneurs who can steer you in the right direction towards realizing your goals.

· Killer strategies for marketing, advertising and selling, including effective time Management. All tried tested, tracked and honed to squeeze every ounce on value: top line sales and bottom line profits

Nevertheless, summer schools offer an environment that should encourage delegates in starting a small business as they are filling a gap.