Cadbury and Dunlop - iconic brands and businesses known and loved by millions around the world - have one amazing thing in common.

Like me, and I suspect many of you reading, they were born and grew up in Birmingham.

Whether a business employs thousands of people or is a small family business that employs just a few, they generally have one thing in common, they all started small by someone with a great idea.

And now, more than ever, Birmingham is alive with people with great ideas.

In fact, our small business scene is thriving. Outside London, Birmingham has the most start-ups of any UK city.

Our SMEs have created nearly 30,000 jobs since 2010 and two thirds of those working in the city are employed by a small business.

But what excites me the most about Birmingham, is how much potential this city has.

It has the youngest population of any city in Europe.

This means it's full of young people, from diverse backgrounds, full of brilliant ideas, wanting to make a mark on the city they call home.

But, the path from great idea, to starting something isn't an easy one.

I speak to small business owners every day who tell me setting up their small business was the bravest and hardest thing they've ever done.

Taking that leap into the unknown can be daunting and we know many entrepreneurs often don't know where to begin.

That's why I'm proud to announce that TSB is partnering with Enterprise Nation to help them get started.

Enterprise Nation is on a mission to create a more entrepreneurial society in the UK by offering support and advice to people starting their own business.

The Start Something programme they have developed is for young people of all backgrounds, specifically designed to address the barriers to starting and sustaining businesses.

Over the next six weeks, we're giving people aged 16-30 in Birmingham, the chance to attend a series of free workshops on how to kick-start their great ideas and turn them into small businesses.

The courses start on Tuesday and are led by expert trainers from the team at Enterprise Nation and I'll be attending with my team for the business planning session.

Not only is this an opportunity for young people to gain the skills and confidence they need but it's also a chance for them to network and grow their ideas together.

We're so inspired by the businesses that started in the communities we serve, we often name our branch meeting rooms after them.

That's why in our New Street branch we have rooms named after both John Cadbury and John Boyd Dunlop.

Gareth Lewis is area director for Birmingham with TSB