AN ALTERNATIVE business club has been created to offer support and advice to entrepreneurs and small businesses in Weymouth and Portland.

The “New in Business” Club was created by WSX Enterprise and is open to entrepreneurs and people who have launched a new business within the past 12 months.

Run by Christine Collins, the club meets monthly and aims to support people through the crucial early stages of launching a business.

The club encourages those in attendance to discuss and debate a wide range of topics that have been an issue for them in the first 12 months of business.

Funded by WSX Enterprise and a grant from the EU, it is a unique business club as it is only available to new firms in Weymouth and Portland and it also includes talks and present-ations from local business owners on the issues they face when they first set up and how they overcame them.

Christine Collins, enterprise executive at WSX Enterprise, said: “This club is not happening elsewhere, it is just taking place in Weymouth and Portland where there are a lot of entrepreneurs starting new businesses.”

She added: “It is in a seminar-like environment, where there is a lot of discussion and debate around a particular topic or topics, and that can be anything from marketing to finance to social media interaction.

“We also have businesses and business people who specialise in certain areas come in and deliver talks offering advice.

“We get a really good mix of people who attend but it’s a learning environment for new businesses. We all want to help them and offer them support and advice.

“A lot of new businesses have questions that are completely different to established businesses and those are the questions we are answering because it’s very difficult when you first start out.”

“It is also an opportunity to learn from other people who are in a similar position and from also people who have been in that position and have come out the other side of it.

“Everyone can share ideas, it is a very supportive environment because we all want to support new businesses as much as we can. There is no other forum like it in the local area.”

The next meeting of the club will take place at 9.30am on Tuesday, December 4 at Weymouth College, and although it is free, booking is essential.

For more information on the club or to book a place contact Christine Collins on 07740 403942 or email Christine.collins@ wsxenterprise.co.uk