I love being around entrepreneurs. My dad was one which probably explains why – it was his entrepreneurial drive that enabled my childhood to be a comfortable one in contrast to his own which was quite tough.

In my opinion entrepreneurship is basically about problem solving, self motivation, and being decisive. These are attributes that school leavers everywhere increasingly need but particularly here in Brighton and Hove where our economy relies on people that are self employed or working for small businesses. So far only two of our secondary schools teach entrepreneurship as a specialism, I hope that will increase.

I visited another brilliant local enterprise recently, in the offices at Portslade Train Station. It’s called Let Me Do That For You, and it was founded by Lisa Reynolds – a formidable leader who also runs the Brighton and Hove Business Curry Club.

The enterprise provides business support to other businesses, from PA provision through to accounting support and restructuring advice. It’s organisations like this that find a niche in our local economy and expand to provide great local jobs that I find really inspiring.

There are plenty of ideas I have for how we as a city can better support our small businesses and those who are self employed. It was a pleasure to discuss this with Lisa – a strong advocate for local business with firm opinions about how the council and politicians like me can do better for local enterprise.

Lisa and her team told me about how desperately the Boundary Rd area needs investment, something everyone in the area knows. She also brought to life the relationship that small businesses have with the council. If you run a local business and need support, you should get in touch with them today! Here I am with Sophie and Georga from the team.

All the best, Peter