by Dr Paul Redmond, University of Liverpool

If business is the new rock ‘n’ roll, entrepreneurs are the rock stars - the new breed of media-friendly business leaders whose profile continues to grow. But what does it really take to build your own business and how can learning the skills of self-employment help keep graduates in Merseyside?

Entrepreneurs: we can’t get enough of them. Whether it’s Sir Richard Branson’s ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’ cameo in the latest James Bond film or Sir Alan Sugar’s weekly appearances on ‘The Apprentice’, everywhere you look it seems entrepreneurs are elbowing aside pop stars and footballers to become the nation’s most aspired-to role models.

Even the Beatles have succumbed to their charms.

Earlier this month, Sir Paul McCartney announced that he would be signing for ‘Hear Music’- the new record label from Starbucks creator, Howard Shultz.

From a business perspective, the implications of this are staggering. Once, brands fought to be associated with pop groups. Not any more. Today, the Cuban heeled boot is on the other foot, and it’s not Macca that drives business, but Mocha.

So what’s the appeal?

A big part of the appeal of the entrepreneur is independence - personal, financial, and organisational.

For many people - particularly those in ‘Generation Y’, the generation born between 1982 and 2000, independence is THE primary motivator when it comes to choosing careers.

And fortunately for them, governments are only too keen to offer support. This year, the European Union is making funds available to encourage students in higher education to develop entrepreneurial skills. The EU recognises that in today’s knowledge economy, entrepreneurs are essential.

In Merseyside, we have a head start.

Life’s a pitch: the Dragons’ Den comes to Liverpool

This spring, the University of Liverpool is planning to put 150 of its most enterprising students through a specially designed entrepreneurial programme aimed at equipping them with the skills, knowledge, networks and expertise to run their own businesses.

Based on the model of the BBC TV programme, ‘The Dragons’ Den’, the course will offer students a priceless opportunity to learn how to ‘pitch’ business ideas directly to local ‘dragons’ - business leaders from some of Merseyside’s leading firms.

Led by the University’s Careers and Employability Service, the programme will be one of the first in the UK to focus on graduate entrepreneurialism.

If you would like more information about the programme, or would like to volunteer your services as a business “dragon”, please contact Dr Paul Redmond at the University (0151 794 8234; or email: paul.redmond@liverpool.ac.uk)