"Who You Gonna Call?"

Whether you're a movie buff or an occasional film enjoyer, you might have recognised this famous line, written by the musician Ray Parker Jr. for the 80s classic 'Ghostbuster'.

The movie follows the life of three University professors, who set up a ghost removal service in New York City. By doing so, they liberate the city and its citizens from harmful and malicious beings.

In real life, these ghosts and hazards are represented by the doubts and hesitations we can encounter on our personal and professional journey.

New entrepreneurs can now call Virgin Startup, the Doubtbusters, in order to get advice on their new business. On the 12th of January opens the Virgin StartUp business advice hotline for British founders who want to explore their business ideas and kick-start their new venture.

Founder Friday is Coming

Did you know that Friday 12th January 2024 is also known as Founder Friday? The day that  Brits who have been thinking about starting their own business will finally take a first step towards making their business dreams a reality.

Virgin StartUp, Virgin’s not-for-profit hub for early-stage business founders, predicts a surge in online traffic from future business founders next Friday (12th) - at the end of the first full-week back to work for many people - following a similar uplift this time last year.

The British Business Bank, which runs the Start Up Loan programme, also saw a 16% increase in Start Up Loans applications in January last year and expects another bumper month this year. Virgin StartUp is running a ‘Founder Friday’ hotline on 12 January 2024, a free business support line for anyone just starting out on their start-up journey. Budding business founders can book a 30-minute slot with an experienced business advisor to explore their business ideas and kick-start their new venture.

Reserve your slot!

Want to sign up to the Virgin StartUp business advice hotline?

  • When: Sign-ups open on Friday 5 January 2024. Limited slots are available.
  • Where: Sign-up to the hotline online here: www.virginstartup.org/founder-friday
  • How: register with the above link and await confirmation of your slot.
  • Who: The business advice hotline will be available to anyone based in the UK who has  an interest in starting up a business, regardless of age.

“The new year is a great time to jump into something new and kick-off any dreams you may have been putting off for some time.", says Andy Fishburn, Managing Director at Virgin StartUp

"With fresh optimism for the year ahead, many budding founders will be looking to take the plunge with their business ideas this January. Virgin StartUp is committed to helping early-stage start-ups through every step of their start-up journey, so, we’d encourage anyone thinking of starting their own business to book a slot on our free business advice line this Founder Friday to get personalised advice for your early-stage or future business.”, adds Andy.

Virgin StartUp, Virgin's home of entrepreneurship in the UK, helps early-stage business founders start, scale and succeed. This is the perfect opportunity for founders to gain priceless advice and tips and get the boost needed to kickstart their new venture in this new year.