Columnist

The engine of a dynamic, fair and innovative economy

Every November, Global Entrepreneurship Week gives us a moment to pause and celebrate one of the most powerful forces for good in the world. 

To me, entrepreneurship isn’t just about starting a business, it’s about a human need to innovate, collaborate and make the world around us better place.

It’s about ordinary people, in every corner of the country, spotting a problem and daring to build a better way. 

It’s about the hope that comes when someone takes a risk on their idea and in doing so, changes not just their own life, but the lives of others.

Being around entrepreneurs and their supporting their journey makes the work we do at RTC so rewarding. 

Day in, day out, our teams help make a difference to people’s lives through enterprise, helping turn ideas into action, creating the conditions for innovation to thrive, and building stronger, fairer local economies in the process. 

We’ve seen time and again how entrepreneurship can lift families out of hardship, give people back a sense of purpose, and breathe life into communities that once felt left behind.

But the truth is that the UK is not yet making the most of its entrepreneurial potential. 

The data shows that although more people than ever dream of starting a business, too many never take the leap. 

For some, it’s a fear of failure. 

For others, it’s the lack of financial incentive or security. 

We talk a lot about productivity, innovation, and growth, but at the heart of all of these is people’s willingness to take a risk. 

That’s why I believe that there should be greater incentives for entrepreneurship. 

Because when we reward risk-taking, we don’t just get more businesses, we get more innovation, more dynamism, and more opportunity. 

We build an economy that works for those who create, not just those who consume.

As we approach the Budget, I hope to see a clear signal from Government that entrepreneurship sits at the heart of the UK’s growth agenda. 

That means creating the right conditions, fiscal, financial, and cultural, for people to act on their ideas. 

It means making it easier to start and grow a business, and it means celebrating entrepreneurs not just as economic agents, but as the builders of Britain’s future.

And crucially, it means deepening devolution. I’ve always believed that the further decisions are made from Westminster, the better they are for the people they affect. Local leaders understand their economies, their sectors, and their communities. 

They see where potential lies, whether that’s in a coastal town with untapped talent or a post-industrial community ready to reinvent itself through clean energy, creative industries, or digital innovation. 

Devolution, done properly, is not just about shifting power, it’s about unlocking the entrepreneurial energy that exists in every place.

By giving combined authorities, the resources and freedom to act, we can focus on stimulating the foundational economy, the small businesses that keep local places alive, while also identifying and nurturing high-potential sectors that can create better jobs and stronger futures. 

The regions that once powered the Industrial Revolution have the skills, creativity, and spirit to power the next one. But they need the right systems, the right incentives, and the right belief from Government that their futures matter.

Of course, I also recognise that this isn’t just about policy, it’s about culture.

In too many parts of the country, people have grown up without seeing enterprise as something for them. It’s not that the talent isn’t there’ it’s that the pathways and support often aren’t. 

This is why devolution must be long-term, underpinned by funding and clear governance that gives local areas the confidence to build the systems, education, and ecosystems that nurture entrepreneurship over generations, not just electoral cycles.

At RTC North, we’ve seen the power of what happens when ambition meets opportunity. 

We’ve worked with thousands of entrepreneurs, some taking their first tentative steps, others scaling nationally and internationally, and what unites them all is a belief that they can make things better. 

That belief is contagious. It changes lives.

So, as we celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week, my message is simple: if we want a fairer, more dynamic, and more innovative Britain, we must back our entrepreneurs. 

We must give them the confidence to take risks, the support to grow, and the freedom to shape their own futures. 

Because when people are empowered to build something meaningful, for themselves, their families, and their communities, we don’t just grow businesses. 

We grow hope.

Jamie Ollivere is chief executive of RTC North

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