Dr David Bozward

Tag: business opportunities

  • 90 New Businesses an Hour: Entrepreneurship Is Alive and Well in the UK

    90 New Businesses an Hour: Entrepreneurship Is Alive and Well in the UK

    It is easy to believe that entrepreneurship in Britain is struggling.

    High interest rates, uncertain consumer demand, taxation, regulation and geopolitical instability create a difficult environment for anyone considering starting a business. Yet one of the most interesting pieces of recent UK business news tells a different story.

    Britain registered 388,922 new companies during the first half of 2026.

    That represents a 9% increase compared with the same period in 2025 and equates to approximately 90 new businesses being incorporated every hour.

    Entrepreneurship in Britain appears remarkably resilient.

    Entrepreneurship thrives on change

    The important question is why.

    Entrepreneurial opportunities frequently emerge precisely when established markets are changing.

    Artificial intelligence is transforming professional services. Cybersecurity requirements are creating new markets. The energy transition is reshaping infrastructure and manufacturing. Defence investment is generating demand across supply chains. Universities continue to produce intellectual property capable of becoming commercial ventures.

    Each transition creates problems requiring solutions.

    Entrepreneurs recognise those problems as opportunities.

    A striking recent example is manufacturing start-up Isembard, which has opened a 160,000-square-foot factory close to Tower Bridge in London. The company intends to manufacture components for drones, submarines, robots, rockets and jet engines, using software-driven manufacturing methods. It currently employs around 35 people and reportedly expects that figure to reach approximately 200 next year.

    This is entrepreneurship applied to one of Britain’s oldest industries: manufacturing.

    Capital is still looking for entrepreneurs

    Investment is also continuing.

    On 23 September, the British Business Bank announced a £50 million commitment to Phoenix Court, alongside institutional investors including M&G, NatWest and HSBC. The objective is to provide growth capital to British technology and science companies capable of scaling internationally.

    Earlier in September, a further £210 million South East Investment Fund was launched, offering loans between £25,000 and £2 million and equity investments of up to £5 million for growing SMEs.

    These developments matter because entrepreneurship requires more than ideas.

    It requires an ecosystem containing finance, skills, customers, universities, infrastructure, mentors and experienced founders.

    The UK already possesses many of these ingredients.

    Indeed, the UK remains the world’s third-largest venture capital market behind the United States and China.

    Entrepreneurship is spreading beyond traditional clusters

    Perhaps the most encouraging development is the geographical spread of entrepreneurial activity.

    London, Oxford and Cambridge remain important innovation centres, yet entrepreneurial capability is increasingly visible across Britain.

    Recent analysis has highlighted how successful British technology companies can become what might be described as “founder factories”. People learn how to build teams, raise investment, develop products and enter international markets inside growing companies. Some subsequently use that experience to establish businesses of their own.

    That effect is increasingly visible in cities including Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, York and Warrington.

    Entrepreneurial ecosystems can therefore become self-reinforcing.

    One successful company creates experienced employees. Those employees become founders, investors, advisers and mentors. Their businesses create another generation of entrepreneurial talent.

    The nature of entrepreneurship is also changing

    The next generation of UK businesses may look very different from those created even ten years ago.

    AI allows small teams to automate administration, undertake sophisticated analysis, develop software rapidly and reach international customers. Cloud infrastructure reduces the capital required to launch technology businesses. Digital marketplaces provide immediate routes to customers.

    This creates the possibility of the highly leveraged entrepreneur: a founder capable of achieving significant economic output with a comparatively small organisation.

    That could dramatically widen participation in entrepreneurship.

    Britain still has entrepreneurs

    Britain undoubtedly faces economic challenges. Entrepreneurship, however, should be judged partly by how people respond to those challenges.

    Nearly 389,000 company registrations in six months suggest that hundreds of thousands of people are still prepared to identify opportunities, accept uncertainty and attempt to build something.

    The bigger policy question therefore concerns what happens next.

    Starting companies is important. Helping the strongest of them survive, innovate, employ people, export and scale is where much of the long-term economic value will be created.

    Entrepreneurship is alive and well in the UK. Our next challenge is creating an environment in which more of those 90 businesses being created every hour can become the successful employers, exporters and innovators of the next decade.

  • English Whisky: A New Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Is Emerging

    English Whisky: A New Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Is Emerging

    English whisky has reached an important inflection point. The UK Government has approved English Whisky/English Whiskey as a protected Geographical Indication (GI), with registration taking effect on 1 October 2026. The decision gives English whisky a recognised geographical identity alongside established protected whisky categories and creates something particularly interesting for entrepreneurs: a new market category around which businesses, brands and experiences can be built.

    The numbers already suggest significant momentum. More than 70 distilleries now produce English whisky, compared with 46 in 2023. English whisky is exported to more than 30 countries, while industry estimates put the value of whisky currently maturing in English casks at approximately £1 billion.

    That combination of regulatory recognition, growing production capacity and international interest creates entrepreneurial opportunities extending far beyond opening another distillery.

    1. Building the English whisky brands of the future

    The most obvious opportunity lies in brand creation.

    Scotch benefits from centuries of accumulated recognition. English whisky has the advantage of being a much younger category whose identity is still being formed.

    Entrepreneurs therefore have space to experiment with provenance, grain varieties, production techniques, maturation, casks and regional storytelling. The English Whisky Guild itself emphasises diversity, creativity and innovation as important characteristics of the developing category.

    The commercial opportunity comes from converting that innovation into distinctive premium brands. Consumers increasingly buy provenance and experience alongside the liquid itself. A whisky connected convincingly to Yorkshire, the Cotswolds, East Anglia or another English landscape can create a proposition combining product, place and story.

    2. Whisky tourism could become a significant industry

    A second opportunity sits outside the bottle.

    Successful whisky regions generate economic activity through distillery tours, hotels, restaurants, festivals, tasting experiences, specialist retail and tourism routes.

    England already possesses a substantial domestic and international tourism economy. English whisky can become another layer within it.

    Imagine regional whisky trails connecting distilleries with local hotels, restaurants, farms and heritage attractions. Entrepreneurs could develop curated tasting weekends, corporate experiences, whisky schools, specialist tours and premium hospitality packages.

    This creates an important economic multiplier. The value generated by a distillery begins flowing into neighbouring businesses and communities.

    3. A new supply chain needs to develop

    Every expanding industry creates opportunities around its core producers.

    English whisky needs farmers, maltsters, barrel suppliers, logistics providers, bottlers, designers, laboratories, technology companies, distributors, exporters and specialist professional advisers.

    This may prove to be one of the most interesting entrepreneurial effects of GI recognition.

    A growing cluster of 70-plus distilleries creates sufficient critical mass for businesses dedicated specifically to supporting English whisky. Digital traceability, sustainability measurement, specialist insurance, cask management, export compliance and direct-to-consumer technology are examples of services that could develop alongside the category.

    The entrepreneurial opportunity therefore includes building the infrastructure around English whisky.

    4. Export represents perhaps the biggest prize

    English whisky is already sold in more than 30 international markets. GI protection provides another mechanism for establishing authenticity and protecting the category as international awareness grows.

    Entrepreneurs should think internationally from the outset.

    Specialist export agencies, overseas distributors, whisky clubs, luxury retailers and hospitality partners could help smaller English producers enter markets that would be difficult to access independently.

    There is also an opportunity for collaboration. Several producers working together can promote English Whisky as a category while maintaining competition between individual brands.

    The first commercial battle is therefore category awareness. Once consumers recognise English whisky as a category worth exploring, individual brands gain a larger market within which to compete.

    5. Innovation can become England’s competitive advantage

    A young industry also has fewer inherited assumptions about how things have always been done.

    That creates room for experimentation.

    The English Whisky Guild has highlighted approaches that allow producers to draw upon brewing expertise and develop distinctive production methods. This connection between brewing, farming, distilling and innovation could become an important feature of English whisky’s identity.

    Universities and agricultural colleges could also participate through research into grains, fermentation, sustainability, sensory science, manufacturing technology and circular production systems.

    English whisky consequently has the potential to become an innovation ecosystem as much as a drinks category.

    The opportunity is bigger than whisky

    The wider lesson is about how entrepreneurial ecosystems emerge.

    A protected geographical identity establishes boundaries around a category. Producers create products within it. Suppliers develop around those producers. Tourism builds around the places. Researchers improve processes. Exporters open markets. Investors provide capital. Consumers gradually develop recognition and trust.

    That is how a cluster develops.

    English whisky appears to be entering precisely this stage.

    The entrepreneurs who benefit most may therefore include distillers, farmers, technologists, tourism operators, exporters, designers, retailers and investors.

    The billion pounds of whisky currently maturing in English casks represents accumulated product value. The greater entrepreneurial opportunity lies in building the ecosystem that will eventually sell, support and amplify it.

    English whisky has secured its identity. The next phase is about turning that identity into businesses, jobs, exports, innovation and regional economic growth.

  • Where Are the Entrepreneurial Opportunities After the BRICS Summit—and How Can You Make Money from Them?

    Where Are the Entrepreneurial Opportunities After the BRICS Summit—and How Can You Make Money from Them?

    The 2026 BRICS Summit has created a series of commercial signals across trade, finance, technology, energy, agriculture, infrastructure and skills. Entrepreneurs who translate these political ambitions into practical products and services can capture significant value.

    The 18th BRICS Summit, held in New Delhi on 12–13 September 2026, produced a declaration focused on strengthening cooperation between eleven major emerging economies representing approximately half the world’s population. The scale of these economies, combined with their continuing infrastructure and development needs, creates a substantial opportunity for businesses able to operate across borders.

    BRICS functions as a cooperative grouping of diverse national markets. Each member retains its own currency, legal system, regulatory environment and commercial priorities. This complexity creates demand for trusted intermediaries, specialist advisers, technology providers and local delivery partners.

    The central entrepreneurial opportunity lies in helping organisations trade, invest and collaborate across these markets more effectively.

    What changed at the New Delhi summit?

    The New Delhi Declaration placed considerable emphasis on increasing trade, expanding the use of national currencies, improving cross-border payments, digitising trade documentation and developing more resilient global value chains.

    The summit prioritised practical payment interoperability and greater use of national currencies for trade and investment. A single BRICS currency remains outside the current programme. The immediate commercial challenge concerns the development of faster, safer and more affordable transactions between national financial systems.

    Financial Express also reports support for digital trade finance, invoice discounting for smaller exporters and greater cooperation between Special Economic Zones. These developments could reduce working-capital pressures and improve the ability of smaller companies to participate in international trade.

    China announced plans for a BRICS AI Open Source Zone, a Special Economic Zone partnership and a BRICS Service Trade Forum in 2027. These initiatives aim to increase cooperation in artificial intelligence, professional services, investment and resilient supply chains. Reuters described the proposals as part of a broader effort to develop BRICS into a more practical economic platform.

    The declaration also supports cooperation in digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, smart grids, energy storage, advanced manufacturing, robotics, quantum technologies and resilient communications.

    Agriculture received particular attention through new networks covering digital agriculture, regenerative agriculture, agroecology, fisheries and aquaculture. The proposed BRICS Agro-Inputs, Genetic Resources and Information Network will encourage cooperation around productivity, food security and climate resilience. The Indian Express provides further details of these initiatives.

    These commitments indicate where governments, development banks, research institutions and major companies are likely to direct future investment. Entrepreneurs can use these signals to identify emerging customer needs before markets become crowded.

    1. Cross-border market-entry services

    Thousands of businesses will want to explore opportunities in India, the UAE, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia and other BRICS markets. Many will require support with local regulations, commercial relationships, procurement processes and routes to market.

    Entrepreneurs can provide:

    • market validation and competitor intelligence;
    • distributor and partner identification;
    • regulatory and certification support;
    • product and service localisation;
    • procurement and tender monitoring;
    • commercial introductions;
    • export-readiness assessments.

    A viable business model could combine a paid initial assessment, a market-entry project fee and an ongoing local representation retainer. A lawful and transparent success fee could supplement this income where the adviser contributes directly to securing a contract.

    Specialisation strengthens the proposition. A company offering general assistance across every BRICS economy may struggle to demonstrate sufficient depth. A business helping British cybersecurity companies enter India and the UAE presents a clearer and more credible offer.

    2. Payment, trade-finance and compliance technology

    Greater use of local currencies will increase demand for systems capable of managing multi-currency transactions, payment reconciliation, invoicing, tax reporting, currency exposure and regulatory screening.

    Commercial opportunities include:

    • multi-currency invoicing and treasury dashboards;
    • automated sanctions and counterparty screening;
    • digital identity and business-verification systems;
    • invoice-finance platforms;
    • cross-border fraud monitoring;
    • payment-risk and currency-exposure tools;
    • integration between payment and accounting systems.

    Entrepreneurs can create immediate value by supplying the cybersecurity, compliance and integration services that enable businesses to use emerging payment channels safely.

    The customer journey could begin with a transaction-readiness assessment, progress into systems implementation and develop into a recurring monitoring or compliance service. This structure creates initial project revenue and predictable monthly income.

    3. Cybersecurity and digital resilience

    Growth in digital trade will increase the volume and significance of digital risk.

    The declaration calls for secure digital infrastructure, stronger cross-border fraud prevention, greater supply-chain security and closer cooperation between national computer emergency response teams. This agenda creates demand for cyber-readiness reviews, supply-chain assurance, secure payment architecture, incident exercises, data-governance frameworks and post-quantum cryptography preparation.

    A strong commercial model would begin with a fixed-price readiness assessment, move into a remediation project and convert the customer to a recurring assurance service. This approach allows the provider to build a longer relationship while helping the customer demonstrate continuing compliance and resilience.

    Critical infrastructure, banking, telecommunications, logistics and energy offer particularly promising markets because disruption in these sectors creates substantial financial and operational consequences.

    4. Agritech, food security and traceability

    The BRICS focus on digital agriculture and climate resilience creates opportunities for farm-management platforms, remote sensing, water monitoring, supply-chain traceability and decision-support systems.

    Entrepreneurs should focus on recurring problems that appear across several agricultural markets:

    • reducing water, energy and fertiliser consumption;
    • monitoring livestock health and welfare;
    • improving aquaculture productivity;
    • identifying equipment and supply-chain vulnerabilities;
    • verifying sustainable production;
    • reducing food loss and waste;
    • forecasting disruption from extreme weather;
    • demonstrating compliance with export standards.

    Customers invest in measurable improvements. A system that reduces input costs, protects production or improves access to export markets provides a stronger proposition than a general promise to introduce artificial intelligence.

    The best route to market may involve a university, agricultural college, food producer or industry association as the initial pilot partner. A successful pilot can generate evidence, credibility and a platform for expansion.

    5. Infrastructure, climate and resilience services

    The New Development Bank is being encouraged to expand local-currency financing and mobilise investment into clean energy, transport, water, sanitation, social infrastructure and digital connectivity. It is also exploring mechanisms designed to improve project creditworthiness and attract private investment. Financial Express outlines these priorities.

    Major infrastructure programmes create extensive supplier ecosystems. Smaller businesses can participate through feasibility studies, risk modelling, digital twins, environmental monitoring, cyber resilience, workforce development, project assurance and impact evaluation.

    The most accessible commercial opportunity frequently sits within the specialist services surrounding a large investment. A £500 million infrastructure project may generate numerous smaller contracts covering design, data, assurance, training and operational support.

    Entrepreneurs should identify the organisations responsible for delivering these projects, including engineering companies, local authorities, development agencies and major contractors. These organisations provide a more realistic entry point than approaching national governments directly.

    6. Skills, qualifications and professional development

    Successful investment in AI, cybersecurity, infrastructure and advanced manufacturing depends on an appropriately skilled workforce.

    BRICS cooperation includes digital skills, industrial capabilities, research collaboration, standards development and youth entrepreneurship. Universities, awarding organisations and training providers can respond with programmes covering:

    • cyber and operational resilience;
    • AI governance and responsible adoption;
    • international trade compliance;
    • digital agriculture;
    • sustainable infrastructure;
    • advanced manufacturing;
    • innovation and entrepreneurship leadership.

    Effective programmes will reflect local industries, regulatory frameworks, languages and employer requirements. Partnerships with local universities, professional bodies and training providers can provide the credibility and contextual knowledge required for adoption.

    Recurring revenue can come from licensing, learner registration, certification, continuing professional development and organisational capability programmes.

    How do you turn these opportunities into revenue?

    Commercial progress begins with one trade corridor, one customer group and one expensive problem.

    A UK business might focus on UK–India digital trade, UAE–Africa infrastructure projects or South Africa–UK agricultural supply chains. The next step involves interviewing approximately 20 potential customers to identify repeated problems, current expenditure and purchasing authority.

    A practical revenue pathway consists of five stages:

    1. Sell a paid diagnostic or opportunity assessment.
    2. Deliver a limited pilot with measurable outcomes.
    3. Convert the pilot into an implementation project.
    4. Add recurring monitoring, assurance or support.
    5. Expand through a trusted in-country partner.

    This land-and-expand model generates early revenue, builds evidence and reduces the financial exposure associated with premature product development.

    Compliance defines where opportunities are viable

    BRICS includes both accessible growth markets and heavily restricted jurisdictions. British companies remain subject to UK sanctions, export controls, anti-bribery legislation, financial-crime regulations and data-protection requirements.

    Transactions involving Russia, Iran, dual-use technologies, financial services and strategically sensitive infrastructure require enhanced due diligence. The UK financial sanctions guidance for Russia demonstrates the level of scrutiny that may be required.

    Currency volatility, intellectual-property protection, delayed payments, local ownership rules and intermediary reliability also require careful management. Businesses capable of managing these risks can turn compliance and assurance into valuable parts of their proposition.

    Follow the friction

    The BRICS summit has revealed a substantial implementation agenda. Governments want greater cooperation in payments, trade, technology, agriculture, infrastructure and skills. Achieving these objectives will require thousands of practical interventions by businesses, universities, investors and professional advisers.

    Entrepreneurs create value by removing commercial friction.

    The strongest opportunities will emerge from a clearly defined trade corridor, a trusted local partnership and a problem with measurable financial consequences. Payments, compliance, cybersecurity, digital agriculture, infrastructure resilience and workforce capability all meet these conditions.

    The entrepreneurial opportunity following the BRICS summit lies in building the systems, services and relationships that convert political commitment into commercial activity.