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Small Business Advice Week (7th – 13th
September) aims to help businesses ride out the recession wave and
move forward. With this year’s Week focussing on help, advice and
support to enable companies to grow, the latest survey from Business
Link in the East of England paints a positive picture about the
post-recession future of Cambridgeshire’s small and medium sized
enterprises (SMEs).
Strong survival characteristics are
evident among SMEs in Cambridgeshire, despite forty-seven per cent
of respondents in agreement that the economic slump of recent months
has provided a hugely challenging market place in which to do
business. More than 60 per cent of Cambs-based respondents have
revised their priorities to ensure that they are in the strongest
possible position to do business, both now and once the recession is
over. And as the UK looks towards the return of a stable economy,
six in 10 businesses will be making adjustments to their business
plans in order to remain focused.
As more than half of respondents
consider the recession to be a short-term hindrance, the focus is on
an imminently brighter economic future. Eighty per cent of Cambs-based
respondents have taken positive steps to overcome the recession and
feel they are in a strong position to grow out of it. As a result of
economic uncertainty, four in 10 respondents reveal renewed
confidence in their business proposition and heightened efficiency
within their place of work.
Pat Smith, Chief Executive of
Business Link in the East of England said, “There’s no doubt that
the past 12 months have presented businesses in Cambridgeshire with
one of the toughest environments of recent times. For many it has
been a daily challenge to compete and simply exist. Faced with
adversity, they have sought advice, re-focussed their business
proposition and taken steps to ensure that they are as fit as
possible survive. It’s therefore no surprise that Cambridgeshire
businesses are motivated, standing strong and ready to grow out of
this recession.”
In a direct response to the current
growth aspirations voiced by many businesses, Business Link has
introduced a ‘Planning for growth’ workshop to its latest events
schedule. Developed by one of the country’s leading change
management experts, this full day session provides delegates with an
inspirational opportunity to make positive changes to their sales
and profit margins. The workshop is offered free of charge to
qualifying businesses at a range of venues in and around
Cambridgeshire. For full listings visit
www.bookevents.org
or call
0845 601 1000.
Any small business looking for help
and advice can contact Business Link on 08457 17 16 15 or visit
www.businesslink.gov.uk/east.
About Business Link in the East of England:
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Business Link provides information, practical advice and
support to help people to start, run or grow their businesses
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Our clients fall in to two main categories:
- Those running or working in
established small and medium sized businesses
- Those who want to start their own
business
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Both client groups can access independent, impartial and, in
most instances, free help and support from Business Link in the
form of:
- Free one-to-one help from an
experienced Business Adviser (established businesses) or
Enterprise Awareness Manager (start-ups)
- Workshops and briefings on a range
of business subjects such as business planning, sales and
marketing, legislation, developing people
- Telephone and online support through
our Regional Information and Intelligence centre
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Business Link in the East of England works with businesses
and entrepreneurs in the 6 counties in the East of England:
Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex Hertfordshire, Norfolk and
Suffolk
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Business Link is a government initiative to promote
enterprise, funded in the East of England by the East of England
Development Agency
September 2009 -
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