More than 3,000 events are taking place across the country in aid of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2013.

From speed-networking with leading entrepreneurs to “hanging out” with Richard Branson, here’s our pick of the 10 top events taking place this week:

1) Liverpool screening of In the Den with the Dragons

When: Tuesday

Where: Liverpool

For those of you that can’t make it to London’s British Library In the Dragons’ Den event, Liverpool Central Library is holding a live webcast screening.

Intended to give you insider knowledge on how to scale up your business, a panel of Dragons from the very first series to the latest will be sharing their tried and tested techniques.

Local entrepreneur Conrad Thornton from Green Street Media in Liverpool will be there in person to discuss his experience and you will be able to put your questions to the Dragons.

You can book your ticket here.

2) 10,000 Small Businesses, Business Growth Programme Information Event

When: Tuesday

Where: Leeds

The 10,000 Small Businesses Programme will offer approximately 100 hours of practically focused business and management education – designed specifically for entrepreneurs and business owners by leading international, national and local experts in entrepreneurial learning.

The programme is designed for leaders of established small businesses and social enterprises, who will benefit from targeted support and resources to help them define and achieve their business growth aspirations.

Funded by the Goldman Sachs Foundation, the 10,000 Small Businesses Programme is delivered for the Yorkshire and Humber region by Leeds University Business School.

3) Entrepreneur Wales 2013: The Big Debate

When: Tuesday

Where: Bangor

Following on from the success of its international debate last year, the Welsh government will be running a series of evening debating events across Wales.

The theme is ‘making Wales a more entrepreneur-centric place to do business’ and will start from 5pm at Bangor University.

Keynote speeches will be given by Julie Meyer of Ariadne Capital and Kingsley Aikins, CEO of Diaspora Matters.

4) Scottish Start Up Summit 2013

When: Wednesday

Where: Edinburgh

Taking place in Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms, the Scottish Start-Up Summit 2013 (SUS13) is where business experts share the secrets of success with young entrepreneurs.

SUS13 is the UK’s biggest national, not-for-profit event for entrepreneurs. It features a varied, interactive, day-long schedule: inspiring speakers, workshops, presentations, network opportunities.

Around 500 young entrepreneurs will attend and will hear from a wide range of inspiring and successful speakers from various fields including marketing, retail, technology, food, film and media, recruitment, and entertainment.

5) Google+ Hangout with Sir Richard Branson and Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann 

When: Thursday, 21 November

Where: Online

It’s your chance to join Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson and Pinterest CEO and co-founder Ben Silbermann as they discuss and share their stories on Google+ Hangout.

Talking to a global audience, Branson and Silbermann will give an informal chat about entrepreneurial life, followed by a moderated Q+A session.

Questions will be taken from the Branson Centres of Entrepreneurship in South Africa and the Caribbean, VirginStartup in the UK, Startup Weekend and Virgin Mobile Colombia.

6) StartUp Britain Speed Networking

When: Thursday, 21 November

Where: London

StartUp Britain along with co-founder and serial entrepreneur Oli Barrett are looking to challenge the Guinness World Record for the number of people interacting at a business speed networking event.

Held on Thursday November 21 at 8.30am at Hub Westminster, the hour-long session will look to break the record set in Hong Kong last month which saw 406 people interacting and will aim to help people make useful business connections at the same time.

7) SME Growth Hack 

When: Thursday, 21 November

Where: London

Chinwag and the UKTI have collaborated on this free event which is for small and medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurs with export potential.

The day, held in the heart of Tech City, will be split into panels, case studies, mentoring sessions and an exhibition all focused on the four key themes: Build. Promote. Sell. Inspire. The ticket also includes complimentary lunch and coffee for all attendees.

This event is for start-ups and entrepreneurs with potential for fast-growing UK businesses with export potential.

8) Shell Livewire Live: Young Entrepreneurs

When: Thursday

Where: London

This event will see up to 250 young entrepreneurs across the UK come together to network and learn from leading minds in the entrepreneur and business space.

Taking place at Altitude 360 at London’s Milbank Tower, business experts and business men and women will share their advice to starting up.

Speakers include Google’s director of business Richard Robinson and founder of Ariadne Capital, Julie Meyer.

Find out more about the event here.

9) Barclays business seminars and clinics

When: All week

Where: Nationwide

Barclays are running more than 150 free Get Ready for Business seminars across the UK as well as Barclays Local Clinics to help budding entrepreneurs.

Open to all, the seminars aim to give attendees the tools needed to take an idea from the drawing board to the real world.

Similarly, the clinics are open to all and run around the country in small interactive groups, where you have the chance to talk openly about the things that matter most in your business.

You’ll have the opportunity to hear from experts, share experiences and get hands-on advice on how to shape your business for success. Plus, you’ll be able to network with other local business owners.

10) British Library Global Entrepreneurship Week events

When: All week

Where: London

The British Library’s Business and IP Centre will host a programme of events for entrepreneurs and small businesses as part of the Week. There will be free online webinars running all week along with specific events such as:

In the Den with the Dragons (see entry 1)

Leading entrepreneurs to have sat in the Den reveal what makes a winning pitch and how to scale your business.

Speakers include Kelly Hoppen, current Dragon and owner of Kelly Hoppen Interiors, Piers Linney, current Dragon and co-CEO of Outsourcery, and Doug Richard, series one Dragon and founder of School for Startups.

As tickets are limited, The British Library will be running a free live webcast from the event which you can take part in by registering here. You can put your questions to the speakers through the webcast or via Twitter using the hashtag #BLMarketing

The day will also see speed mentoring sessions with leading entrepreneurs and business experts.

Startup Saturday

Taking place on Saturday, 23 November and costing £30 this day-long event, which runs from 10am to 3pm, will include talks from serial entrepreneur Emma Jones and promises to deliver “all you need to know to be your own boss by the end of the day”.

Commercial cleaning specialist Total Clean has welcomed new franchisee Eric White to its chain, the fourth latest recruit to join the cleaning franchise within the past three months.

White, formerly a wholesale bakery manager, decided to sign with the chain to gain more “control of [his] future” and is now intending to open his Central Manchester territory in March.

He is the latest addition to the company’s expanding franchise portfolio after it recently signed three new franchisees to territories in Maidenhead, Edinburgh and Warrington.

Total Clean has operated in the cleaning sector for 25 years and says its “commitment to service excellence” has enabled it to boast a 95% client retention rate.

Its franchise package is available from £26,995 and includes pre-launch training, marketing and media support and ongoing mentoring from a team of staff.

Elaborating on his reasons for joining the Total Clean brand, White said:  “I looked at various other franchises before deciding on Total Clean.

“Total Clean seemed more attractive than the others to me and although they have only just started to franchise, their business model is proven and their franchise model is very well designed. They came across as very professional and helpful, so it was a clear decision for me.”

For more information about franchise opportunities with Total Clean, click here or call 0207 935 5089.

To find out more about franchising visit our dedicated franchising channel.

Digital video marketing firm Rightster, founded by serial tech entrepreneur Charlie Muirhead, has raised £20.4m through a listing today on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), the junior counterpart to the London Stock Exchange.

Founded in May 2011, Rightster was launched as a business-to-business video network, aiming to help content owners and marketers manage rights to video content online.

It operates a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform which it says is the only unified solution where customers can manage uploads, distribution, geographic rights and monetisation through a single service.

The London-based firm initially targeted the fashion industry, with its first customer being the British Fashion Council, and has subsequently expanded its operation to include news, sports, entertainment and viral videos.

The company’s client list has grown to amass more than 750 content owners and 6,500 publishers across the globe, and financials released in Rightster’s share document revealed it had turned over £4.8m by June 2013.

Rightster also provides a live streaming service, with notable events covered by the firm including the Royal Wedding and the Leveson inquiry.

The firm says it now generates around 160.7 million views a month through its clients’ content, representing growth of 613% since 2012.

In its two and a half years of trading Rightster has also made several significant acquisitions, most notably purchasing European film trailer distributor Preview Networks for €2.1m this year to boost its position as one of Youtube’s leading multi-channel networks.

Rightster also owns 25% of viral rights management company VML and partially owns UK display advertising sales company Sports Syndicator.

The fast-growing company was named this month as one of Silicon Valley Comes to the UK’s 63 British tech companies with revenue potential in excess of £100m.

Founder Charlie Muirhead is a serial tech entrepreneur, having founded various web companies before Rightster including data management and communications companies Orchestream and Netagent and online television network t5m.

The £20.4m IPO will see Rightster offer 34 million shares at 60p a share and would represent the culmination of another successful start-up stage for Muirhead, who grew Orchestream into a £1bn company and raised £10.3m for Nexagent’s first round of funding in 2000.

Rightster expects to use the money raised from the flotation to provide a substantial amount of working capital in order to develop, market and launch its ‘second generation’ rights management platform in the fourth quarter of 2013.

According to its share document, Rightster will use around £1.9m of the proceeds to pay off a number of loans and obligations accrued by the company.

Righster says it is also exploring options for additional acquisitions following the flotation, in order to increase its share of the £9bn online video market.

Early signs show the flotation may raise more capital than predicted by Rightster, with the share price already having risen by 7% to 75p a share this morning.

UK breakdown provider RAC has launched a major recruitment drive to attract over 200 sales agents to take up its “self-employed” opportunity and join its front-line team.

The motoring organisation is looking for individuals with transferable sales skills to become part of its direct sales force which would involve representing the RAC brand and promoting its products and services.

Established in 1897, the RAC has become one of the largest motoring companies in Britain with over seven million members and it says its front-line sales force has become a successful channel within its business model.

Its sales packages include ongoing training along with sales and marketing support with an alleged earning potential of up to £50,000 per year.

Full-time and part-time opportunities are available for agents from a wide range of industries and backgrounds, including small business owners, graduates and students, along with experienced sales professionals.

RAC head of direct sales Stuart Blackett said: “We have some exciting opportunities for talented direct sales professionals to help us engage new members and act as local ambassadors for the RAC.

“In today’s economic climate there are many small business owners and franchisees that have suffered due to the downturn and are looking for new opportunities. We believe that the commitment, optimism and work ethic many of these sole traders demonstrate can be transferred to make a success of their own RAC business venture.”

To find out more about becoming a direct sales agent for RAC, click here or call Helen Johnson on 07710 108267.

London-based anti-piracy solutions company MUSO has announced it has secured a £250,000 grant from the government’s Technology Strategy Board, in order to develop a new anti-piracy tool.

Founded in 2008, MUSO offers a range of software-based anti-piracy solutions to the creative industries in the UK, helping to identify, protect and remove illegal content on the web.

The company says it assists more than 1,000 media companies a day in tackling the piracy threat.

The £250,000 Technology Strategy Board ‘Smart Award’ will back the development of a project currently in prototype stage which the company claims will ‘convert’ audiences away from piracy sites back to legal retail areas.

MUSO’s prototype is now in the final stages of development, with a UK-wide trial set to begin with a selected group of MUSO’s existing clients next April.

The Technology Strategy Board’s Smart programme is designed to offer co-funding to UK-based start-ups and small firms to carry out science, engineering and tech projects which could lead to innovation within the sector.

Applications for the programme are always open and companies can receive grants to prove market viability, explore technical feasibility or develop prototypes.

Christopher Elkins, co-founder and head of film services at MUSO, said: “Securing this development grant from the TSB is fantastic independent endorsement of the strength of our technology and future developments we are making in the anti-piracy solutions market.

“The grant award gives our R&D team an extremely robust financial position from which to develop this ambitious and forward-thinking product, to the benefit of the UK tech sector, and rights holders looking for new ways to further drive the online growth of great content.”

Leading US tech pitching competition Vator Splash has announced it is coming to London’s Canary Wharf in November, allowing digital entrepreneurs to compete for a package of support worth £20,000.

The event, which will take place in the Level39 building on 7^th November, aims to uncover the best tech and digital start-ups with high potential for growth and support them with a tailored package of mentoring, funding and legal services.

Started in San Francisco in 2010, Vator Splash has built a reputation for identifying tech start-up talent, helping to launch businesses such as online learning platform Udemy, health marketplace PokitDok and online therapy portal Breakthrough Behavioural.

Since launch businesses backed by the scheme have collectively raised $100m in follow-on funding.

The November 7 event will run from 2.30 to 7pm, with 10 shortlisted businesses delivering pitches to a panel of experienced tech investors including Jon Bradford of TechStars, Passion Capital’s Stefan Glaenzer, Ben Holmes of Index Ventures and Richard Muirhead of Firestartr.co.

One business will be selected to receive a support package worth £20,000, which includes free two-hour consultations with chartered accountants Blick Rothenberg and tech-focused law firm Taylor Wessing and free cloud hosting services from hosting company Rackspace.

The winning business will also have the opportunity to raise further funding through a three-hour ‘sit down’ meeting with a panel of top VCs, including representatives from DFJ Esprit, Wellington Partners and Passion Capital.

The event’s organisers say London was chosen as Vator Splash’s first non-US location because of initiatives such as Tech City securing its reputation as Europe’s digital capital.

Bambi Francisco, founder and chief executive of Vator Splash, said: “Vator Splash has an established presence in the US and in the last three years, our events coupled with our social network – which has grown to more than 100,000 start-up and investor members – has provided a springboard to some notable start-up success stories.

“As Europe’s Digital Capital, London was the obvious choice for our first event outside of the US. With the city’s start-up scene developing rapidly, we want to be part of the growth and the solution to help entrepreneurs get themselves discovered.”

Entrepreneurs can apply for the free-to-enter event by clicking here. Eligible businesses must be less than three years old with under €1m current funding. The deadline for applications is 19:00 on 25^th October 2013.

Commercial cleaning specialist Total Clean has welcomed new franchisee Phillip Webb to its network, marking the third latest recruit to join the cleaning franchise within the past two months.

Webb will now operate the chain’s new Maidenhead site and although his background is in financial products he hopes to build on his experience in the cleaning industry where he began his career 13 years ago.

His decision to join the chain and start a new endeavour in franchising comes after wanting to realise his ambition to run his own business, but with a desire to “tap into the knowledge of those who have been there and done it.”

He joins two additional franchise partners who signed with Total Clean in the last two months and have already begun training and working in their specific territories.

Total Clean has operated in the cleaning sector for 25 years and says its “commitment to service excellence” has enabled it to boast a 95% client retention rate.

Its franchise ‘management model’ is available from £26,995 and includes a package of pre-launch training, marketing and media support and ongoing mentoring from a team of staff.

Discussing his new venture Webb commented: “Almost every business is a people business and my reason for choosing Total Clean was based around the people.

“The concept is also easy to understand and the market is not going away anytime soon.”

To find out more about franchise opportunities with Total Clean click here or call 0207 935 5089.

For information and advice on franchising visit our dedicated franchising channel.

Nationwide property agency Belvoir Lettings has welcomed six new franchises to its growing network with three new office launches planned in the coming months.

Brian and Lorotto Linehan, Raewyn Greer and Jason Ou and Isabella Zhang are the latest recruits to join the chain with upcoming launches in Southampton, Aldershot and Kingston upon Thames respectively.

In addition, existing franchisee Rattan Singh has benefitted from a franchise re-sale opportunity taking over Belvoir’s Erdington office.

The new additions bring the total number of offices for the property franchise to 156 and the firm is still actively recruiting for more prospective franchisees, with places still available on its three-week induction course in November.  

Belvoir Lettings CEO Dorian Gonsalves commented: “Belvoir prides itself on recruiting extremely motivated, driven individuals or business partnerships and I am sure our new franchise owners will be a real asset to the group.

“We provide all new franchise owners with a comprehensive support package to help them succeed in what is a very buoyant lettings market. I wish everyone well for the future and look forward to watching the growth of these new Belvoir offices.”

If you would like further information on franchising with Belvoir Lettings call Chris Watkin or Sarah Wood on 01476 570 000 or email franchising@belvoirlettings.com.

Mobile network operator O2 has announced the roll-out of high-speed 4G mobile broadband in five cities across the UK today, bringing the total to eight.

The network will go live tomorrow in Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield, adding to existing coverage in London, Leeds and Bradford.

Since the network was launched a month ago, O2 says more than 9.5 million people now have the ability to access 4G, which delivers speeds more comparable to home-based broadband than 3G mobile internet.

The UK’s growing number of tech businesses are set to benefit from the launch, as the higher speeds could allow for more efficient mobile working and streaming of content.

O2 has also announced that five more cities will receive coverage by the end of 2013.

4G tariffs operated by the network start at £26 a month.

Ronan Dunne, chief executive of O2, said: “We’re excited to be bringing our 4G network to five new cities. Digital connectivity will be made ubiquitous by 4G and become the oxygen of modern life. It is our intention to use 4G to inspire the nation through the possibilities of technology.

“The full potential of 4G is as yet unexplored, but what we can be sure of is that it will allow for a whole new world of opportunity that people are now ready for. Over half of our customers say they use more data than two years ago, as can be seen by the 79% increase in Coventry alone over the last 12 months. Given this trend, there is no doubt that 4G will transform our lives, be it as consumers, in business or through public sector services.”

The government has increased its funding to both the Start-Up Loans Company and the New Enterprise Allowance scheme with a further £69m now available as announced by David Cameron at a reception to celebrate British enterprise last week.

Each of the initiatives will receive a share of the major funding boost, with £34m extended to Start-Up Loans and £35m towards New Enterprise Allowance.

The additional funding is set to increase the financial support available to small businesses across the country and is part of the government’s aim to create new jobs and improve Britain’s economy.

Start-Up Loans, which offers funding and mentoring to help individuals develop their business ideas, will now be rolled out in both Scotland and Wales and will increase loans access to entrepreneurs over 30 as well as ex-service personnel.

The news also sees the New Enterprise Allowance, which provides business mentoring and financial support to help job-seekers start their own ventures, extended for a further 15 months until December 2014.

It is predicted that the cash injection will build on the schemes’ successes so far having together supported the launch of 30,000 UK businesses over the last two years.

Prime minster Cameron commented: “I am determined to do all I can to support the British economy and that includes helping small businesses and budding entrepreneurs to get on.

“In the last two years we have helped tens of thousands of people to turn their ideas into a viable business, and this additional support will help thousands more.”

Discussing the potential of the initiatives, Cameron added: “If you have drive, determination and are prepared to work hard, we will back you.”

Leading pizza franchise Papa John’s has marked a new addition to its growing franchise network with a new Uxbridge outlet opened by existing franchisee Zahid Sadiq.

The official opening which took place on Saturday 31 August was attended by the local mayor of Hillingdon and councillor Alan Kauffman, and also included a ‘pizza party’ with a limited number of free pizzas given out to visiting customers.

The opening is one of many recent new Papa John’s stores across the country following the success of its $2m incentive scheme with 20 new UK sites planned for launch over the next six months.

Papa John’s franchisee Sadiq commented:

“Our new store has already proven to be very popular in the weeks we’ve been open.   “It was […] an honour to receive the mayor in our store and we really enjoyed celebrating our official opening event with him and our customers, old and new.”

Greetings card distribution franchise Original Poster Company (OPC) has welcomed the latest additions to its franchise network, husband and wife Paul and Chris Whitehouse and their son Tom.

The trio will take-over the card distributor’s Birmingham and Coventry sites following two recent resale opportunities.

The family has operated a similar greetings card franchise for the last 12 years and now plans to utilise this experience in their new roles.

OPC’s new additions form part of its aim to boost growth after two new franchisees recently joined its chain with openings in Exeter and a virgin territory in Ireland.

Established in 1991, OPC claims to be the world’s largest greetings card distribution franchise providing its franchisees with a home-based working system and business development managers to provide sales support and advice. Franchise packages are currently available for £33,000 plus a £3,000 licence fee in 75 sites across the UK and Ireland.

Discussing the family’s new venture, Paul Whitehouse commented: “OPC stood out as a more successful company than many of their competitors.

“Their proven track record and the quality of their products really impressed us. Fortunately the Birmingham and Coventry territory was available for resale and we could really see the development potential in the area.

“We now have more family time and Chris can manage the stock side of the business at home, in addition to looking after our grandson on some days.”

Dance organisation J’s Dance Factory (JDF) is offering prospective franchisees the chance to join its franchise network with nationwide opportunities available.

Launched in 2007 by young entrepreneur Jessica Elliott (pictured), JDF provides dance classes, singing lessons and workshops for over 1,000 children aged between three and 17. The company offers training in a range of areas including street dance, ballet, singing techniques and cultural dance styles such as Bollywood.

Last year its achievements were recognised by Prince Andrew and the brand also received support from David Cameron after its involvement in the London 2012 Olympics.

More recently, the organisation’s child participants have gained roles in the West End production of Disney’s The Lion King and many have appeared on television programmes and adverts for global brands.

With five franchise sites currently operating in London boroughs, the dance academy is looking to extend its reach across the UK and is seeking “vibrant and committed people with a passion for dance” to join its team.

Franchise packages are available for £5,995 + VAT and the dance chain also offers support with covering this cost by helping potential franchisees to secure a government Start Up Loan. Ongoing training and guidance is also provided from its head office.

Discussing its franchise vacancies Elliott said: “The J’s Dance factory franchise opportunity provides a chance for people passionate about children and dance to earn money from their passion, whether that’s extra money on top of their salary or providing themselves with a full-time job.”

To find out more about becoming a franchisee for J’s Dance Factory click here.