Intuit launches Love Our Local Business campaign with £15,000 worth of funding for UK small businesses in partnership with StartUp Britain
StartUp Britain endorses and supports Intuit’s ‘Love Our Local Business’ competition
LONDON, 30 October 2013 – Intuit UK together with StartUp Britain has today launched “Love Our Local Business”, a national competition with £15,000 worth of funding for cash-strapped British start-ups and business owners. Winners will be selected through a combination of online votes and a judging panel with representatives from Intuit and StartUp Britain.
There are ten £1,000 cash awards and one £5,000 prize for the business that qualifies as the winner of the six week campaign. Submissions open on 30th October, with the winner of the first £1,000 award to be handed out on 5th November 2013. The overall, £5,000 winner will be announced on 11th December 2013.
To qualify businesses need to enter a ‘wish’ on www.loveourlocalbusiness.com outlining why they believe they should qualify for funding, and then use social channels (using the hashtag #SupportSmallBizUK) to drum up support from their customers and supporters to vote for them.
Mike Williams, head of Intuit UK Business, said: "Intuit is committed to helping entrepreneurs, small businesses and accountants. We know that businesses often struggle to secure funding, especially in their early stages and we hope that by offering this cash award, we will not only provide a much-needed windfall, but we’ll also be able to identify and showcase some of the most innovative British businesses.”
British entrepreneurs are on track to start more than 500,000 new businesses in 2013, according to StartUp Britain’s own StartUp Tracker. With early stage funding still limited, the £15,000 cash awards will give eleven home-grown start-ups and small businesses a financial boost ahead of Christmas.
Start-Up Britain co-founder Emma Jones said: “We’re increasingly seeing early stage start-ups developing their business ideas on a modest budget before bringing in finance, so they are not only cash poor but they are time poor as well. I like this award because it’s quick and simple to apply for and offers not just cash but national exposure. It’s a great initiative.”
To enter go to www.loveourlocalbusiness.com
ENDS
About StartUp Britain
The StartUp Britain campaign is backed by Government but operates as a fully private sector supported venture. It was founded by eight individuals and business owners and is sponsored by Intuit, PayPal, BT Business and Iris. Its role is to inspire, accelerate and celebrate entrepreneurship. www.startupbritain.co
About Love Our Local Business
Intuit’s Love Our Local Business effort grows out of Intuit’s Love a Local Business program. Love Our Local Business is part of Intuit’s larger, ongoing commitment to support the financial success of consumers and small businesses all over the world.
About Intuit in the UK
Intuit in the U.K. helps small businesses get paid, manage their money and pay their employees, and accounting professionals be more productive and grow their practices. The company’s flagship products in the U.K. include QuickBooks, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Payroll and Intuit Pay. For more information visit www.intuit.co.uk
Intuit Limited is a company registered in England and Wales (Company No. 2679414) with registered address and principal place of business in 1 Cathedral Piazza SW1E 5BP London. Intuit Limited is a subsidiary of Intuit Inc.
About Intuit Inc.
Intuit Inc. creates business and financial management solutions that simplify the business of life for small businesses, consumers and accounting professionals. Its flagship products and services include QuickBooks®, Quicken® and TurboTax®, which make it easier to manage small businesses and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing. Mint.com provides a fresh, easy and intelligent way for people to manage their money, while Demandforce® offers marketing and communication tools for small businesses. ProSeries® and Lacerte® are Intuit's leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants.
Founded in 1983, Intuit had revenue of $4.2 billion in its fiscal year 2013. The company has approximately 8,000 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.
