Member Article

Facing the economic challenge

By Colin Grimston of Business Link

As the economic downturn really starts to bite, Business Link is doing more than ever to help small and growing companies meet the challenges ahead. Business advisers are often regarded as extensions to the families of small business owners and in difficult times those strong, established relationships can make a big difference.

Advisers who are working directly with businesses have developed a deep understanding of their organisations and an empathy with the business issues that they face. Many have experience of running small businesses themselves and appreciate the wide ranging impact of the downturn. Because of that knowledge, they are able to offer advice that is completely appropriate to the situation that individual businesses find themselves in.

Of course, those advisers are not working on their own. They are backed up by the team at Business Link headquarters in Seaham, where experts are on hand to provide guidance on everything from managing cash flow in the current climate to identifying where money can be saved by ‘going green’. Much of the advice can be accessed directly by logging onto www.businesslink.gov.uk/northeast.

The website also provides a business health check which companies can use to discover if they are sufficiently prepared. The health check can help to analyse key areas, including finance and administration, with the aim of identifying and avoiding future problems and improving business performance. It asks a number of questions which can identify potential difficulties before they arise.

In this era of growing uncertainty, the work of Business Link is more crucial than ever. Working with partners in the region to ensure that every possible support is available to small and growing businesses, this includes providing access to finance, free business health checks and workshops designed to help businesses take practical steps to address the challenges of a changing economy.

Business Link’s substantial team of expert brokers operate across the region in local access points and on a mobile basis. For further information about Business Link visit www.businesslink.gov.uk/northeast or call 0845 600 9 006.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by BENE .