Young businessman wins entrepreneur award (From Times Series)

Young businessman wins entrepreneur award

5:01pm Wednesday 8th February 2012 in News By Emma Phippen

A young entrepreneur from Edgware is making waves with a business he has set up.

Dan Taylor, 23, was the January winner of The Shell LiveWIRE award for young entrepreneurs.

He won the monthly award for The Giving Card, a business he set up in November 2011.

He was awarded a £1,000 prize and hopes he will now go forward to the finals which carry a prize of £10,000.

Mr Taylor, who only graduated from university in July 2010, set up the card which is a discount card linked to charitable giving.

It works on the basis that people buy a card for £29.95, and £10 of this is donated to a charity of their choice.

Once they have purchased the card it can be used to get discounts in more than 3000 shops, restaurants and bars.

Mr Taylor, who turned down a job in a city bank, said: “I am hoping that this will become the country’s biggest discount card.

“Of course, I also hope to raise some great money for charity.

“We have exceeded our expectations already; loads of people have signed up and people seem to be taking really well to the concept.”

Mr Taylor believes that the card is a win-win for everyone involved; it raises money for charities, generates business for companies and gets discounts for customers.

He said: “It’s a no-brainer. Charities pay nothing. Businesses sign up free but need to offer an incentive to members. It might be a discount. It might be a bottle of wine. It might be an extra month’s membership.”

In December Mr Taylor was also recognised in the Future 100 Awards which identify young entrepreneurs who are worth watching in the future.

Mr Taylor said: “It’s been an incredible experience starting a business after leaving University, but to also be recognised with these prestigious awards just makes my work so much more rewarding.”