Rob
01-19-2011, 01:07 PM
According to a survey from the Federation of Small Businesses' (FSB), UK small businesses ended 2010 less confident than they were at the beginning of the year.
The report, ‘Voice of Small Business’, which looks at the general health of the small business sector, found in the fourth quarter of 2010 that business confidence fell for the third successive quarter to a net score of -13.2, the deepest decline since the survey began in March 2010.
Overall, the figures show that the private sector recovery lost momentum in 2010, and as the constraints on businesses cash-flow increased from utility bills, fuel duty and VAT combined with the public sector cuts, growth in 2011 is also likely to be sluggish at best.
The severe weather at the end of the year and the rise in VAT to 20 per cent at the start of 2011 have both had an impact of small firms' confidence, especially those businesses operating in service and consumer focussed sectors such as restaurants, hospitality and retail sectors and those in the transport sector.
It can be easy to get caught up in a general feeling of depression but I have to say that the businesses I have spoken say that so far business has got off to a great start (me included) … except retailers of course who rarely have a good start to any year.
So let’s refuse to participate in any sort of a ‘poor start to the year’ mentality but if you must ... just fake a smile for the rest of us!
The report, ‘Voice of Small Business’, which looks at the general health of the small business sector, found in the fourth quarter of 2010 that business confidence fell for the third successive quarter to a net score of -13.2, the deepest decline since the survey began in March 2010.
Overall, the figures show that the private sector recovery lost momentum in 2010, and as the constraints on businesses cash-flow increased from utility bills, fuel duty and VAT combined with the public sector cuts, growth in 2011 is also likely to be sluggish at best.
The severe weather at the end of the year and the rise in VAT to 20 per cent at the start of 2011 have both had an impact of small firms' confidence, especially those businesses operating in service and consumer focussed sectors such as restaurants, hospitality and retail sectors and those in the transport sector.
It can be easy to get caught up in a general feeling of depression but I have to say that the businesses I have spoken say that so far business has got off to a great start (me included) … except retailers of course who rarely have a good start to any year.
So let’s refuse to participate in any sort of a ‘poor start to the year’ mentality but if you must ... just fake a smile for the rest of us!