Inspiring Enterprise in Our Schools since 2005
Future Business Magnates is a school enterprise competition for Year 8 students in County Durham.
Open to all secondary schools, the competition allows young people to develop a new product or service based on an annual theme, exploring how to create a business in a fun and exciting environment.
Each school forms a team of 8 students to compete in the competition which runs from November until June each year.
Teams participate in six challenges designed to help them create and develop their business idea. Each challenge allows the teams to score points that go towards their final score and at the end of the competition a winner, runners-up and category prizes are awarded.
Bringing Students, Schools and Businesses Together
Students
By taking part in Future Business Magnates students not only learn new skills and have the experience of creating a new product, they are also able to develop their communication skills and how to work effectively as a team.
Schools
As well as introducing participating students to enterprise and the world of work, FBM can also help schools achieve some of their Gatsby benchmarks.
The competition also allows schools to work closely with businesses and develop fruitful long term relationships with some of County Durham’s cutting edge businesses.
Businesses
There are a number of ways in which businesses can get involved with the competition. The most simple and straightforward way for a business to get involved is to partner with the school and support their team as they develop their business idea.
Businesses can bring their special expertise and their unique point of view to the project that the students develop.
Parents
Parents can learn more about what it means to start a business by observing the work that their children do in FBM.
By encouraging and supporting their child’s project they can gain an insight into the day-to-day running of a new business start-up and understand the new skills team members are learning. They can also bring their own unique experience and their point of view to the table so that children have a wider knowledge base to draw upon when developing their business.
Get involved
Whether you’re a school or a business, it’s easy to get involved in the Future Business Magnates programme.
Before you apply, you can learn more about the Future Business Magnates programme, including benefits for all participants and frequently asked questions.
Alternatively register your interest in the competition and a member of the FBM team will be in touch.
Ready to join the Future Business Magnates Programme?
2025 Competition Winners
The 2025 winners were Park View School, supported by their business partner The Co-op Distribution Centre (Birtley). Teams were set the challenge of developing a product or service that would ‘re-imagine the high street’.
Following their market research, the Park View team found that many elderly or vulnerable shoppers didn’t feel safe on the high street. In response, they developed the idea of a wearable safety device called Guardian by Angel Tech.
The team scored high marks, achieving 984 out of a maximum of 1000 points and the students’ presentation during the final challenge was, according to one of the judges, better than many pitches by adults he had seen.
“We practised 24/7 and I can say we were probably reciting it wherever we went, but I think we really smashed it.”
“At the start of the competition I was not a very confident person but during this I’ve learned to speak to other people, collaborate and listen.”
Ellie, Park View School Student
Testimonials
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This exciting competition aims to inspire young people and help develop the skills needed to start and develop a business.
Sarah Slaven, Managing Director Business Durham -
Year after year it’s great to see so many positive outcomes for the students, the schools and the businesses involved.
Sarah Slaven, Managing Director Business Durham -
Students are introduced to possible career pathways and develop key communications skills, and businesses are given the opportunity to inspire young people whilst learning more about the world of education.
Sarah Slaven, Managing Director Business Durham