Calling all painting and decorating entrepreneurs

Dulux Decorator Centre has launched a national competition offering £7,000 of business support to one lucky painting and decorating start-up.

The leading decorator suppliers is calling on all Exeter’s recently qualified painting and decorating students to entre via the company’s website.

Eight finalists, one from every region of the UK, will have the opportunity to pitch their business idea to a panel of independent judges to win the year’s support.

Beverley Whitehead, Marketing Manager at Dulux Decorator Centre comments: “Input from a range of top agencies can really help get a business off the ground. It offers a perfect platform to past and presentExeter painting and decorating students to get the kind of advice that you’d only dream of.”

"The winner from last year’s competition, Sandie Webster said: “I would really encourage students to enter the competition as it offers such a great opportunity for a possible platform to further your career. The competition has given me confidence and winning it has allowed me to get the supplies I needed to move forward as a professional. It also gave me the promotion I needed to establish my business. It really does offer you the chance to start as you mean to go on.”

It is open to all Level Two and Three qualified Painting and Decorating learners with either an NVQ/SVQ or Diploma, as well as those who have left college and qualified within the past two years and for those who have already started a business and can provide evidence that trading began after January 2014.  Entrants must be 18 or over and a resident in the UK. Full terms and conditions plus the online application form can be found at www.duluxdecoratorcentre.co.uk/pitchtowin/index.jsp

Those wishing to enter the competition need to submit a completed application form before 5pm on Friday 29 August 2014.