There is such a thing as a FREE lunch!

When David Cameron came to power and dished out the ministerial jobs, I had high hopes that, finally, we would have a cabinet that would fully support the vital role that small business plays in UK Plc.

I was wrong.

The first thing they are threatening to do is disband regional business development agencies, such as EEDA and SEEDA. Why? Using emotive terms like ‘Quango’ might be good for their PR for cutting government spending, but don’t they realise that for many small and growing businesses, RDAs and Business Links are the only sources where they can get impartial advice, guidance, and even training and funding, and most of it is absolutely free?

When you go onto forums and mention Business Link you inevitably get a barrage of negative comments. But drill down further and many of these people have never actually used BL’s services – they have ‘heard’ from a mate who knows someone down the pub who’s brother in law tried them and they were ‘rubbish’.

If you actually bother to look at the free services that agencies such as Business Link provide, you will realise just how vital they are. There is a mine of information at their fingertips, from how to start your business and how to plan your future growth to importing, exporting and breaking into new markets. They have teams of advisors who are experienced in running their own businesses who can offer free impartial advice, they run a wide range of excellent workshops, or if you need specialist expertise can point you in the direction of reputable suppliers.

Name me one other source that will do all this for FREE??

Small businesses have enough on their plate just trying to keep afloat. If the government now takes away this lifeline, to whom will they turn to for help?

If you are a small business and you want to see Business Development Agencies such Business Link taken off death row, then write to your MP; use the power of Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and good old word of mouth.

Don’t let those that sit in their ivory towers take away such a valuable resource.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

This really is a case of use it or lose it!

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