10 really good ideas to help make small firms grow

-but which is your favourite?

Last month, the excellent Enterprise Nation website set up by Emma Jones asked business followers about their plans to grow their businesses. The responses are forming part of a ‘10% Growth’ campaign Enterprise Nation is spearheading with Sage One to support and encourage every small business in the UK to grow by just 10 per cent. If this is achieved, an extra £21bn will be added to the UK economy.

It is taking this message to the government and to big businesses that can help, along with the 10 recommendations put together by the campaign from the feedback.

Do you have preferences in the list that follows? If so, email us at Scot-Buzz and we will forward on to Enterprise Nation – or go direct to Enterprise Nation at www.enterprisenation.com. Read each in full, then vote for your favourites, so we can present these in order of preference.

1. Provide bridging loans to 5 to 9′ers so they become full-time entrepreneurs.

46% of respondents to our survey said they were doing a full-time day job and building their business on the side. This is a great way to start, but many are cautious about making the move from part-time to full-time self-employment. A bridging loan would ease this decision

2. Offer tax incentives to family members for investing.

Friends and family continue to be the most popular form of start-up funding, according to the Enterprise Nation survey, with working capital (54%) and personal savings (40%) the significantly preferred option for growth capital compared with external investment (7%) or a bank loan (7%). Continuing the family connection, 38% of respondents refer to the role their spouse or partner plays in the business. A tax incentive for family members investing in a family-owned business, similar to the Tante Agaath-Regeling scheme from Holland, would be popular.

3. Make childcare expenses a business expense and so tax deductible.

More and more parents are starting businesses. Recognise childcare expenses as a business expense so they can be claimed as tax deductible. This would give a double benefit of freeing up time for the business owner, whilst reducing the tax burden.

4. Support a nationwide series of innovation days.

70% of readers questioned in our survey are looking to grow through creating new products and services. With 74% being lone business owners and 67% confirming they come up with ideas alone. What’s required is the space and company to innovate with others! Provide backing for a series of Innovation Days and see the benefits in new products and services from these ambitious businesses.

5. Back creation of Investors in Small Business kite-mark for government departments and large corporates that open up procurement.

According to our survey, 44% of businesses want to sell to higher value customers. The government has committed to ensuring 25% of government contracts go to small business – set up a system for this to be tracked and promoted whilst encouraging big companies to do the same with programmes such as PitchUp that have proved successful with large retailers, including John Lewis and Sainsbury’s. Connected to this, track prompt payment to ensure small businesses are being paid on time by government and large corporates.

6. Create a new form of share ownership so business owners can reward a workforce of freelancers and contractors. 

63% of businesses are growing through outsourcing and subcontracting work as opposed to hiring full time staff. Create a new model of mutual ownership where the business owner can offer shares in the company to freelancers and self-employed contractors. This would generate a sense of commitment and shared goals from a flexible workforce.

7. Offer training in sales and marketing as a requirement of starting a business. 

70% of business owners feel their greatest weakness lies in skills in sales and marketing. Make it a requirement that when a company starts, the budding entrepreneur should attend an approved sales and marketing workshop to offer skills to the business owner and links to Growth Vouchers for accessing ongoing professional support.

8. Open up access to international markets through support of international pop-ups.

52% of businesses are looking to enter new markets. Pop-ups are a low cost and low risk route to achieving this. Support the expansion of pop-up shops across the UK and an international rollout so Great British brands can enter new and international markets.

9. Support creation of a database matching British businesses with manufacturers.

With new products and access to new markets, small businesses want to keep production in Britain. Support the creation of a platform that matches small businesses looking for manufacturing and production suppliers.

10. Explore potential for standardised services for small business.

With 19% of survey respondents saying time is the major factor holding them back from growing a business and only 6% quoting advice from a professional advisor, we call on professionals (legal, PR, accounting, etc.) to develop standardised services and packages for basic transactions so business owners save on fees and time. One example is the national pop-up lease, which reduces time and expense for all parties by standardising the legal arrangement.

Now let us know your favourite recommendation – and submit your own!