60% of SME owners happily say goodbye to Business Link

Two thirds of small business owners support the coalition government’s decision to scrap the regional elements of advisory service Business Link, a?poll of over 500 people reveals.

According to the survey of 516 entrepreneurs, 61% said the axing of the system which supports SMEs in England is a good decision compared to 39% who believed it is a bad move.

Comments posted in response?to the study included: “Business Link was run in a misguided way by people who didn’t know what they were doing. They were all about looking like they were doing the right thing, rather than actually doing something useful.”

Another business owner said: “I tendered for a web development project, with search ranking added and they made a complete hash of it. RIP Business Link; gone but happily forgotten.”

Not all responses were negative however with one entrepreneur saying: “Without our Business Link advisors we would have struggled to have secured training for our staff. I’ll miss our advisors and just wonder how the new system will work.”

Another added: “Having had first hand experience of working with Business Link on a number of projects, I can honestly say that it does depend very much on the adviser themselves. Don’t forget, Business Link is just a brand – it’s the private companies who secure the funding to deliver the brand and?supply the advisers – some are great, some aren’t.”

Business Link has been a controversial subject for many years and while it’s good news that the questions about its future have been answered, the hard work to build an effective business support regime in England begins now. Entrepreneurs need and deserve a system that is simple, targeted and easy to access and it’s important that the good elements of the existing set-up are retained. It also needs to be relevant to whatever route an entrepreneur takes whether that be a lifestyle businesses, a fast growth company or a social enterprise. In addition, ministers must ensure that real consultation takes place with all interested parties and ensure that the government doesn’t just pay lip to so called ‘stakeholder engagement.