BOOK NOW FOR WeDO SCOTLAND’s REFERENDUM DEBATE BREAKFAST
As the referendum debate gains increasing momentum, WeDO Scotland, a leading collaboration and support organisation for entrepreneurs, has called upon MSPs from both campaigns to present their case and debate the future of Scotland.
The Referendum Debate Breakfast is being held in the Assembly Rooms, 54 George Street, Edinburgh, on Thursday May 1st.
On the panel will be Fergus Ewing, MSP & Minister for Energy, Enterprise & Tourism from the Yes campaign, and Iain Gray, MSP & former leader of the Scottish Labour Party from the No campaign. In the chair will be Bill Jamieson, founder of Scot-Buzz and former Executive Editor of The Scotsman.
WeDO Scotland represents more than 150 Scottish SMEs across the country. Founder Belinda Roberts, commented, “The issues which face large companies in Scotland, for the most part, are different from those of the SME community. With the ongoing growth of SMEs, their contribution to the Scottish economy is becoming increasingly important. Many quite simply don’t feel well enough informed to make a decision regarding independence.
By hosting this breakfast, we will help arm SME business leaders with the facts to make informed choices by understanding the key points from both sides of the fence. We are delighted that both MSPs are showing their support.”
Tickets for the event are available on the WeDO Scotland website www.wedoscotland.com or by calling 08708-759593.
POLL TESTS SMALL BUSINESS VIEW ON INDEPENDENCE
Ruth McKay
Yesterday BBC Scotland reported on their website that 90 per cent of small business owners in Scotland have already decided how they will vote in the referendum. Small business network Ingenious Britain surveyed about 1,000 small business owners in Scotland found that 48 per cent believed independence would be a negative step for their firm, 37 per cent said leaving the UK would be a positive move, while 10 per cent said it would have no impact.
Having spoken to a number of colleagues and business owners all over Scotland, I have found that the Scottish referendum is a polarising topic of conversation. Certainly the majority of small business owners I speak to have indeed already made up their mind in terms of how they are going to vote.
Those voting to stay in the union see it as a straight forward business and economic decision for them. They do not feel that independence offers enough guarantees or benefits for them or their business and they will therefore vote to stay as part of the union.
Alternatively, those business owners who are pro-independence in my experience are doing it for emotional and personal reasons as opposed to a belief that independence would be beneficial for their business.
As a business owner myself I have not seen any evidence or strategy from Alex Salmond that details why independence would be beneficial to small businesses. However as a growing business in Scotland I already enjoy the benefits of being able to brand myself, or my clients as either British or Scottish which in industries such as food and drink have a significant impact.
We already enjoy the benefits of having access to my own local Scottish market of approximately 5 million customers as well as unrestricted access to a home market of more than 60 million customers.
In Scotland we sell twice as much to the rest of the UK than we do to the rest of the world combined. As business owners in Scotland we trade unrestricted in a single market place without any barriers a border naturally brings with it such as currency exchange, varying legal systems, differing tax rules and diverse employment legislation.
So how would independence benefit small businesses in Scotland?
What small businesses in Scotland need to thrive, grow and be successful
What we need as a business community in Scotland is a stable, safe and secure economic environment that encourages business growth and that setting up, running and doing business is made easier to do, not just in the UK but throughout Europe.
We need better regulation practices and less red tape; we need to have access to finance in order to grow and in some cases start our business; better connectivity throughout Scotland; access to a workforce that has the skills and abilities small businesses require today and an environment where innovation and entrepreneurialism is supported and encouraged.
This is all achievable with the powers the Scottish government currently has. What businesses need is not independence but for our politicians to work harder for us and use the powers we already have to create the right environment for businesses in Scotland.
