IF YOU'VE dreamed of making your first million by the age of 30, your business skills could be about to get the recognition they deserve.

Young entrepreneurs across the borough are being encouraged to compete in the prestigious 2002 Shell UK LiveWire Young Business Start-up Awards.

The competition is open to anyone aged between 16-30 who has been trading for at least three months but no more than 18 months as of January 31, 2002.

Participants first compete in the west London heat of the competition, with the winner going on to compete against the entire London Region on May 14.

In turn the winner of the regional finals is given the opportunity to be named Shell's Entrepreneur of the Year on June 20, and take home £10,000 in cash and a host of other prizes.

But you don't have to get that far to reap the rewards of entering, according to Janet Beecher, who is co-ordinator of the west London heats.

She said: "A lot of the businesses that enter tend to be sole traders so it's an opportunity for them to find out about other small companies in their area.

"Plus we get a lot of influential people coming to the event so aside from giving your business lots of free publicity, you can also make some great contacts.

"We ask entrants to submit an eight-page business plan, which gives them a chance to really sit back and re-evaluate their companies strengths, weaknesses and direction."

And she added that entrants are judged on their individual business acumen, not the size of their company. "It's not about which business has the biggest turnover or number of employees it's about the individual, their business idea and their ability to make it succeed, so anyone can win," she said.

For further information call 01709 382 212.