Best start young to build new business

DAVID D Murray's comments in the article "Scotland not a good place for business" (Business, 21 March) highlight a valid point about the need to support entrepreneurs.

But I disagree with the comments made about the "government's current focus on risky, young start-ups". I set up Street Soccer Scotland and the Street Soccer Academy as a social enterprise in March last year to provide disadvantaged young people and adults with a range of football activities to combat social exclusion and enhance well-being.

I was lucky to gain the backing of Kenny MacAskill MSP and Gordon Smith, chief executive of the SFA, but there is a real need to give more young entrepreneurs in Scotland access to a network of support and advice to enable them to take their first steps towards setting up their own businesses.

Online networks, such as the new Virgin Media Pioneers (www.virginmediapioneers.com), have given me a real boost and enabled me to access the experience and advice of a number of mentors and other young entrepreneurs.

Building an active online community enables young people to get help who might not have access to more traditional business support services. Taking the support network online means I can share ideas, tips and advice with some of the brightest people in the UK.

There is a huge level of entrepreneurial ambition and potential in Scotland and it's crucial that, alongside established entrepreneurs, we enable the next generation to start up. By thinking of the bigger picture, the next wave of young business people in Scotland will continue some of the great successes we've already seen.

David Duke, Street Soccer Scotland, Virgin Media Pioneer, Edinburgh