One of Scotland’s most successful entrepreneurs opened Edinburgh’s second and already oversubscribed business hub in Stockbridge Library on Wednesday.

Sir Tom Farmer praised the City of Edinburgh Council for expanding their support services for business which has already provided free training sessions for more than 750 people in the Leith hub in McDonald Road Library since it began in May 2010.

The hubs play host to a variety of different courses delivered by Business Gateway professional tutors and cover topics such as advice for business start-ups, business development as well as how to use social media – all of which is free.

In his address, Sir Tom Farmer reflected on his life and career which he described as a dream but stressed that he would not have been able to create the UK’s largest independent car repair business – Kwik Fit without people to support him.

He said: “There are many, many reasons for my success but the most important was the incredible support from the people round about me my whole life.”

He also explained that running a business can be lonely. He said: “When I started my business in the mid 1960s there wasn’t an organisation like this and I realise now that over the years how beneficial this could have been.

“It is tough out there but what you need is people to talk to, people to unburden to and to know that you are not alone there are others who have similar difficulties. It is not just about helping people with difficulties it is about identifying opportunities and encouraging people to take advantage of them.”

Sir Tom also made the point that it was important for communities to have good local business. He said: “If one in five shops are empty that is not good for the community.”

Local Councillor and vice convenor of economic development Tim McKay spoke of his pride to welcome this second business hub to Stockbridge and was delighted at the response from the community so far. He said: “A number of the courses are filling up in fact it looks like we are going to have to on extra courses to meet the demand.

“It is a great location for this hub as there are so many entrepreneurs in the area and so far it has been mainly local people attending.”

JoJo Hernandez is the owner of the handbag boutique, Lilies & Dreams on St Stephen Street in Stockbridge. She signed up for all nine of the courses and has attended two already. She explained why: “Right now we are not all getting it perfect we are not getting 100 percent of things 100 percent right.

“Business Gateway helped me when I set up my business in October 2010 and it is great that this is so local and free I can’t think why I wouldn’t take advantage of this.

“I think it is invaluable. It is three hours of my time once a week but how much I benefit as a business is pretty much immeasurable.”

Councillor Deirdre Brock said: "Libraries are in the heart of things and are a major hub of the community.

"They are easy to access and welcoming not everyone has got business degrees so libraries offer an ideal space that is familiar to people who would like to attend the Business Gateway events."

This work is part of the Council’s commitment to ‘Building Stronger Town Centres’ through the Economic Development team’s three dedicated Town-Centre Coordinators who work on a variety of projects across the city.