All over the world on November 12 — 18 people will be celebrating entrepreneurship. In Bermuda, we will join in to encourage and celebrate our own entrepreneurs.Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) was originally conceived by the US-based Marion Kauffman Foundation in partnership with the UK-based Make-Your-Mark campaign to inspire and motivate the next generation of entrepreneurs.Host committees have been formed in hundreds of countries, primarily through public and private sector partnerships and are hosting events such as invention competitions and entrepreneurship summits, designed to encourage creative thinking, jump-start innovation and encourage participants to unleash their ideas in more non-traditional business ways.Since 2008, Bermuda has participated in GEW. A GEW Host committee made up of the Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative and the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) works in conjunction with public and private partners to coordinate events and initiatives that Bermudian entrepreneurs can participate in.This year, BEDC with sponsorship from Capital G, will host its 5th Annual Rocket Pitch Competition.This will be the fifth year that the Rocket Pitch Competition has served as the catalyst to encourage would-be entrepreneurs get their ideas off of the ground. Contestants pitch their business ideas in front of a panel of judges who decide 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. Last year all three winners of the competition started their businesses.Katrina Ball, the first place winner launched the Bermuda Parent Magazine, available on news-stands now.Second place winner, Alex Jones, launched his online shopping assistant for men, Mantastic Shopping and third place winners, podiatrists, Natalie Bennett and Stuart McIntosh launched their shoe store, Island Sole which sells cute and comfortable shoes.Any person between the ages of 18-45 can enter the Rocket Pitch Competition by logging on to www.bedc.bm and downloading the “Pitch Kit”. The completed PowerPoint slides should be e-mailed to jlodge@bsbdc.bm by November 9 at 5pm to be considered. Of those that enter, five finalists will be selected to present publicly during GEW to win a cash prize.In addition to the Rocket Pitch Competition there will also be educational and networking opportunities available for those interested in entrepreneurship.Although GEW starts on Nov 12 around the world, many countries use the entire month of November to highlight entrepreneurship.In Bermuda our first event, a Customs Presentation was held on November 1 in conjunction with our eMonday series of educational seminars. This seminar provided valuable insight as to what is available for existing entrepreneurs as it related to duty deferment, refunds and other incentives available.On November 18, on the Mind Your Business Radio Show; that airs on Hott 107.5, entrepreneur Ralph Richardson will discuss Lean Entrepreneurship and the benefits of this methodology for new entrepreneurs.There will be an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to network with existing entrepreneurs at a “Speed Networking” event organised by BEPRO which is scheduled to be held on Friday, November 16. Check www.bedc.bm website for more information.The BEDC’s 3rd Annual Networking Matters Event — Thinking Big: Growing Locally and Globally Now! will take place on Wednesday, November 21 from 4:30pm -8pm. This event is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to meet with service providers to help them take their businesses to the next level. As a complement to the event there will be an educational seminar that attendees will be able to attend to hear from existing entrepreneurs on how despite a slow economy they have been able to expand their businesses.The last event in celebration of GEW will be eMonday on November 26. For 24 hours, on this day, entailers will be offering promotions and discounts to encourage Bermudians to shop local online. Log on to www.emonday.bm to check out the deals.Overall GEW is a week to celebrate, encourage and highlight creativity. Entrepreneurs exhibit creativity and result oriented thinking regularly as they are often the ones that provide innovative solutions to problems.For those of you reading this interested in participating, log on to the BEDC website for more information or e-mail jlodge@bsbdc.bmJamillah Lodge is a Business Development Officer for BEDC. She specialises in providing aspiring and existing entrepreneurs with business development advice and loan guarantee assistance. In addition, she manages the marketing and communications plan for the Corporation and oversees the development of a mentorship and youth entrepreneurship programme. She has a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and should serve a general guide and should not be considered as replacement advice from a lawyer, accountant or other professional service provider. Readers should consult with the appropriate professionals as necessary.If you have questions about starting a business in Bermuda, just ask BEDC: Email us at info@bsbdc.bm or call 292-5570.