Following the success of his entrepreneurial workshops around the UK, Doug Richard’s School for Startups is coming to Essex.

The original BBC2 Dragon will be hosting two free business master-classes for budding entrepreneurs in Southend and Colchester. Aimed at inspiring entrepreneurs through the recession, the workshops are funded by the Economic Challenge Investment Fund (ECIF) and the University of Essex.

Anyone living in Essex or Suffolk can register online for free. There are 500 places available and the events are expected to fill up quickly.

The two workshops, entitled: ‘The Six Rules for Startups’, will take place at the Civic Centre in Southend on Saturday 10 October, and at the Community Stadium in Colchester on Friday 13 November.

Doug Richard hosts both events personally and ensures that they are fully interactive. For anyone wanting the real Dragons’ Den experience, this is an opportunity to get on stage and pitch to one of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs and investors.

Doug Richard, who was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Essex in July, invites anyone with a business or a business idea to attend, saying:
‘I want people to walk in at the start of the day asking themselves: ‘how can I be an entrepreneur?’ and to walk out at the end asking ‘how can I not be an entrepreneur?’

Free tickets are available for these events now at: www.schoolforstartups.co.uk