Small business owners from around Britain are gearing up to face panels of high-profile business experts in a huge and highly competitive pitching competition that will span the next six months; culminating in one of them being crowned Britain's Best New Business.

With regional heats in Bristol, Birmingham, London, Liverpool and Edinburgh, The Pitch 2010 will give hundreds of hopeful entrants the opportunity to present their business to a panel of investors and successful big name entrepreneurs.

With a package of business support services worth £50,000 up for grabs, the competition, organised by BusinessZone.co.uk, is set to be fierce in all regions. The application window closes on 15 June, so time is running out for entrants to get their entry in.

This year's star studded group of judges includes entrepreneur and star of The Secret Millionaire Carl Hopkins. He's looking forward to supporting the entrepreneurs he meets through the competition.

“I'll be looking for a belief in themselves and their ideas,” says Hopkins. “Also for an understanding of how to bring that idea to life, an understanding of the market they are entering, the needs of their prospective customers and the possible pit falls that lie ahead; as well as the possible up sides.”

The Pitch 2010 is as much about helping entrepreneurs make useful contacts and offering them support and advice to help grow their business as it is about pitching.

“I would definitely recommend entering The Pitch 2010,” says last year's winner, Anthony Lau, founder of Cyclehoop. “Winning last year's competition gave my business a massive boost. The experience I gained and the people I met along the way have been invaluable."

Lau and the other 2009 entrants had the chance to pitch to a number of influential business figures, including former TV Dragon Doug Richard. “Doug Richard told me he now expects a lot from me,” he says. “Just a little pressure from an ex-dragon!”

Richard, who is once again involved with The Pitch, is relishing the chance to work with a new batch of hopeful entrants. “I love working with entrepreneurs,” he says. “They are visionary, hard-working, insightful, innovative, hopeful and imaginative.

“They create wealth for themselves, employment for their associates, solutions for their customers. The Pitch lets me meet hundreds of them. What's not to love about that?”

Yell, the directories business, is supporting The Pitch for the second year running. Helen Stevenson, Yell's chief marketing officer in the UK will again be a part of the judging process. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and last year's finalists were a great litmus test of the entrepreneurial spirit of the nation. It was exciting and inspirational to hear their proposals - the competition is a great showcase for the brilliant ideas that people have for starting up small businesses.”

Entrepreneurs interested in entering should visit the competition website at: http://www.thebusinessfactory.co.uk/pitch-2010

Posted Tuesday June 8^th 2010
By Yell