Comments on: What should replace Business Link?

By: Rosie Cribben

Rosie Cribben — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:43:03 +0000

Answer to your question what would place business link. The government having an internet system that is set up for questions and answers relating to anything that is business related! A direct Business system so you can search for anything on how to get up and started! Where to go! How to get the funding! How and when you pay back!

Anyone starting a business needs a merchant system so they can pay back and know what or who they owe money too. That way in this system people would not get into debt. They repay when they sell on line and there debts get paid off when they get paid. Also the tax man can keep an eye on you.

Sounds the way to go for me!
In business you need to be organised, and need to have a system that works! otherwise people get lost in the fog and it turns into chaos. Start as you mean to go on.

Life should be fun! and we should enjoy our success! not sink in it.

By: Karl Holliday

Karl Holliday — Tue, 18 May 2010 08:21:53 +0000

I found Business Link to be of great use to me. It helps with the main aspect of business and that is knowledge and planning. You need to have an understanding of business and before I attended the courses I knew a small amount that is needed to set-up and run a business. If I was to go to a investor last year they would be able to pick holes in my business plan, then I would have to go back to square one still not really knowing what direction or what is needed in the inclusion in my business plan. My point of view is they are a great asset to those who need that vital piece of help, knowledge.

By: ian

ian — Fri, 14 May 2010 20:00:38 +0000

Hi Two years ago i tried to get help from BL. never did get back to me .. Tried again recently .they got back , then after passing me around i contacted to x who said " I promise to get back to you " Never did so rang his number many times ..always ..recorded message. My experience is ..forget them .......contact other entrepreneurs .

By: Romeo Richards

Romeo Richards — Mon, 10 May 2010 16:47:10 +0000

As to the question of what to do with the £190 million, easy answer; give it to me I will make better use of it. Joke aside, I wrote an articles a few months ago raising similar issues. In the article, I made the point that there is nothing wrong with the idea of the Business Link. The problem is with the implementation.
Firstly, the Business Link is staffed by failed entrepreneurs and bankers. How can someone who have failed and given up help someone else to succeed? Or how can someone who have never ran a business in his life, show someone else how to run a successful business? I am not suggesting that if someone has failed they cannot make a good adviser.

The services the Business Link provides are vital for the success of many businesses. Getting rid of the it is not the answer to helping businesses in this country. What is required is re-structuring it so that it is fit for purpose.

There needs to be one part for start up businesses and another part for growing ones and each part should have different set of advisers. The current advisers are good for start up businesses. For growing businesses there need to be people who are currently in business themselves or who have ran successful businesses.

Finally, advisers need to be held accountable for the result they produce. They all need to be self-employed, pay on performance of the businesses they advice. When this is done advisers will think twice before they ask someone to just sign their documents.

By: Kevin Edgar

Kevin Edgar — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:19:13 +0000

Having spent most of my career in the IT solutions industry building a comprehensive understanding of cross industry business processes and the systems that support them, I visited BL when I decided to set up an Independent consultant’s network to share diverse skills, resources & opportunities.

Whilst I applaud the principles behind BL, I am less certain of its effectiveness in supporting budding entrepreneurs. Given the spread of skills they need to acquire to make a success of their respective businesses, Business Plan, Accounting, Management Reporting , Sales, Marketing, Web Site Development, Search Engine Optimisation, e-Commerce, Supply Chain, Distribution, Manufacturing & Service Management to name but a few, dependent on their business model.

It occurs to me that with a little foresight and planning it should be possible to devise a business incubator environment in a part funded location where complimentary business start ups are drawn together and able to share skills, resources, expertise and contacts to support mutual business growth, whilst developing their own businesses. An Ideal mix would perhaps consist of complementary enterprises such as Sales & Marketing, Accountancy, IT /web /e-commerce and say a wholesale or retail distributor or service organisation.

Whilst such an approach would have its potential problems in terms of resource allocation and revenue realisation across the participating enterprises, these could be far outweighed by the collaborative co-operation generated and were one of the organisations is struggling perhaps key interim expertise could be drafted in part funded by central government, much as it is today but inevitably more specific to the real problem.

By: Tony Morkel

Tony Morkel — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:15:45 +0000

BL was a brillaint concept — now a lame duck. I have used many hours with BL in search of resolving business hurdles. They have been courteous, attentive, kind and seemingly interested but have not volunteered positive information, advice or structure to my planning. An excellent idea ……. run into the ground. Great staff. Poor management.
The solution is staring us in the face. An alternative investment is to offer PRACTICAL and SUSTAINABLE FACILITIES in combination with LEGAL, FINANCIAL, MARKETING and ENGINEERING expertise walking alongside entrepreneurs as they learn to run. Thank you for providing opportunity for the expression of alternative views.

By: Jan Ward

Jan Ward — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:35:40 +0000

I have been running small and medium sized businesses for over 30 years and have been involved as an outside advisor and observer with various government depts as far back as the BOTB, and have been in involved with various non governmental business support organisations eg Chambers of Commerce , Institute of Export etc . BL has evolved into a beast that was never intended at the outset as all government backed organisations are bound to do. Its how a civil servant develops a career path.
In was never likely that a government run and funded organisation was going to be commercially minded enough to be successful in supporting business. So what’s the alternative? I only believe its possible for experienced and successful businessmen to support businesses. The question is how do you get successful business people to do this? Many of them belong to an organisation of some sort , trade association, chamber, CEO organisation etc . Could government use this range of organisations as a support network? The support would then be more industry focused and specialised . Most of these organisations would be happy to be selected to carry out support work and it would very cost effective to extend an already existing organisation to add some services to its current service base. Government must give up backing winners and investing through government grants and use the money to give exporters proper support and give real tax incentives and cashflow support to small business.

By: Chris Scanlon

Chris Scanlon — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:20:26 +0000

Business Link is a good idea, just bad in delivery.

However the key issue is the role of the government versus the role of the private sector. Government’s role is that of regulation – setting the targets, and then enabling others to deliver them. This would be setting out the strategic targets that the government would like to see – and then providing money to enable that to happen. I would like to see a qualification called “Chartered Business Advisors”. These people would be required to be well informed about the things that “Old Business Link” try to do – and be the government’s arm for helping business forward. These business advisors would demonstrate business capability and have access to regular Professional Development – including briefings on what the government is trying to achieve and how to access the money to achieve those objectives. Furthermore they would be experienced in helping to make change happen – which is what all businesses struggle with – changing with the times.

Heseltine’s original idea of Business Link is a good one – its just not doing what it is intended to do.

By: Chris Gallagher

Chris Gallagher — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:46:25 +0000

Business Link does need to change since help will always be needed by smaller companies.

By: Richard Jennions

Richard Jennions — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:10:17 +0000

From 1976 to 2002 I was an Expat in S.Africa.Working in big corporations essentially on Corporate Strategy,Management Services,and Risk finance. A typical Management Consultant .(Those who can do,those who can’t,teach,and those who can do neither Consult.).Having viewed the antics of Blair for a year or so I could not understand how the Brits went along with New Labour the whole scene screamed out “It is just like S Africa after apartheid. Holy cows like BEE -Black Economic Empowerment -and targets for praiseworthy objectives “But nothing to do with winning in business. Clearly members have worked out that the whole panoply of state intervention in UK business is wrong.Politicians like consultants have never run any business and yet they have been allowed to get away with establishing procedures that constrain businesses to tick box their activities relevant to social engineering but not to business.

What is needed is for businesses to join truly representative associations and bombard govt.depts with complaints ,demands,and congratulations if they ever do anything that is of help to business. The only function of these associations should be to represent business against govt.Parliament is supposed to represent the people against a rapacious sovereign. Now we need trade bodies and representative associations to protect business against an exploitative parliament.

Set the govt.targets worked out by business people and keep publically blaming them until they get rid of things in the way like RDA,and Business Link.Oliver Cromwell had it right. I think he said “The whole pack of you – For God’s sake Go!”. Until business tells govt that they are the problem not the solution Britain will continue to decline.