Contractors and freelancers may have been wondering where to turn for advice after the government funded Business Link advice network closed down.
Actually, a large number of private sector support initiatives have been launched recently and now StartUp Britain has produced an online calendar listing 600 events that will be beneficial to entrepreneurs and other small business owners.
Business minister, Mark Prisk, said one of the aims of the calendar was to give budding entrepreneurs the confidence to go it alone. People need to know where they can turn for support and advice and the calendar shows that help could be right on the doorstep.
The government wants this year to be the year of enterprise and will be providing more opportunities for new start-ups and existing small businesses that want to grow, Prisk continued.
Despite the government’s enthusiasm for self-employment, recent research from Aviva has discovered that around 25% of small business owners are thinking about packing it in and returning to salaried employment.
A third of the respondents to Aviva’s survey said they no longer have the same level of enthusiasm that they had when they first launched their own business. Furthermore, more than 25% said they no longer enjoyed being a business owner.
50% of the surveyed entrepreneurs said they were now drawing less money out of their business than they were 2 years ago. Restaurant owners in particular have been hit hard, with 73% witnessing a decrease in the amount they could take from the business.
© 2012 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Image: 2012 Calendar by danielmoyle
