Shell LiveWIRE provides much needed advice and support for young people going into business. LiveWIRE programmes are currently operating in seventeen countries, offering access to business advice for young entrepreneurs and award schemes in each country. The most important message of the programme is to stop, think and plan before starting a business. LiveWIRE delivers practical support to people as they develop the skills needed to plan, launch and manage new business enterprises.
In the early 1990s, many different programmes were introduced in Hungary to support the emerging small business sector. But none of these were geared specifically to support for young people. The Életpálya Foundation (LiveWIRE in Hungary) tries to fill the gap by providing business mentoring and financial support through its Youth Financial Support Programme run jointly with Youth Business International in the UK.
Splendor, a company that specialises in handmade bespoke jewellery, is just one example of the many businesses that have been supported successfully by Életpálya over the last nine years. Splendor’s owners, Dániel Nagy and Orsolya Ráski, came second in the national final of the year 2000 ‘Most Promising Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ competition and have established their own jewellery production workshop, which provides training for other gifted young people.