Businesslink helps businesses

To be honest I think business link is great. They give you advice you can trust and some of the free events are great. I went to one where Doug Richards did a speech and then met him afterwards. I spoke to him for about 10 minutes and it was a pleasure. Never would have met him anywhere else. All for free with food and drink as well. It's quite pleasing the government technically buying me a couple of bottles of beer

Most of the people employed are failed business people which at first I thought was crazy but in fact since so many of them failed in different areas, they are very well suited to tell you what not to do.

I guess the real point is that the money it costs to run business link wouldn't even be able to help 1% of the businesses out there, where as in their current form - I am sure they have helped many people from the most basic tax question to some things more in depth.

Actually the old business links worked quite well. if very under funded. The best bit was having a load of ex company bosse who couyld pop round and offer a bit of advice and help you sort out any problems. It did rather depend on the person and i have seen a few who were really poor and some who are great. I even poached one to run one of my companies.

However they did a sort out a couple of years back and seem to have filled it with no-nothing consultants who simply point you to a leaflet or put you infront of a company and pay half the bill for a service you dont really need. There are aparently over 3000 (yup 3000) government backed initiatives soaking up £12B (yup again!) to help companies. Not one decent agency where you can get some decent advice or know what is on offer anywhere...but you get to see some nice offices and loads of expensive brochures.

Try finding a student to help in the summer for only token money or money to help pay for a trade show in the USA. It's there all right but try to find anyone who will actually know about it and suggest it....forget it.

Hi,
I have an idea to market you business.Its a local business search engine.you can list your business there and get market from there.This is better for your business.you can get behefit from there

The gov't learnt a very long time ago that throwing money at small businesses did not generate any material business improvement! Thats why grants have gone. Their experience and research showed a more lasting and effective improvement could be achieved using experienced business mentors to nurture the proprietors thru their business issues. It worked very well in most regions for about 8 years. by which time the cost of the mentors was too high and they have progressively moved to web based information, and lower cost "advisers" who's role if to signpost to "good" private sector expertise which most proprietors are unwilling to use. So now BL is in a downward spiral. Use it while you can as it is now long past its sell by date for Govt funding.

Apart from Business Link.... who do a job, athough that job is largely over the phone or sending out an email factsheet, the last recession also focused on Enterprise Agencies and the belief that stimulating and promoting small businesses would stimulate and promote the economic environment.

Many of these Enterprise Agencies have gone now as commercial organisations with shiny polished teeth, suits and lovely exterior dressage a la Business Link have snaffled the cash and invested in..... more shiny offices and more telephone suits in the pursuit of GVA.... I don't really know but its something to do with Gross, its something to do with Value and its something to do with Added.

There are only a few of us left doing the good, honest work of one to one contact with businesses, with would be entrepreneur's with the long term unemployed with teenagers looking at direction. Most business advisor's here have valid business experience, some with businesses that have failed, others with businesses that have flourished and been sold, but there is a core pool of very talented individuals who've been here for a reasonable time. (There's only 5 of us advisors left now!)

We do a great job (I would say that) but we lack the marketing pull of a SERCO to get our hands on the money that we can direct to the right places. We've run business mentoring schemes, business rehearsal whereby individuals get to test-drive their business ideas, key business skills training courses and we have a landmark urban development scheme in Devonport (a pretty deprived part of Plymouth).

Throwing the right money at the right businesses does work, but the focus has to be on quality rather than quantity. Of 24 businesses surveyed this year who were started under a business rehearsal programme 2 years ago, 23 were still alive and kicking and cumulatively they generated revenues of £1million. One of those businesses had turnover in excess of £250K and some had turnover of less than £10K. But fundamentally they were doing something that many haven't and with guidance and support had removed themselves from the benefit system and were actually creating employment. Small business is the key to a recovery from recession. It is the enthusiasm, optimism and ruggedness of these operations that will create like the wings of the famed butterfly the spread of more optimism.

Mentors are OK, but they have other concerns and other drivers. In recesion many mentors have to look to their primary concerns, rather than their mentoring good deeds.

The real problem is getting the money to organisations like us, rather than throwing it at beautifully clad SERCO type organisations who sometimes just appear to be wearing the Emperor's new clothes.

I say this knowing that I make a difference to somebody's life most days and knowing fundamentally that what I do is focused, objective and honest. Does that count for anything. Who is going to market our survival?

Business Link do work very well, although it does seem to be a regional thing. We've done web development work for a couple of new and existing businesses here in the North East, and the assistance provided has allowed the businesses to grow quicker than they first hoped.

However I have also been aware of companies approaching Business Link in other parts of the country (Devon being one) and being told that they have no funding for the next 2 years!

So its a bit of a postcode lottery on that side of things!

I spoke to my regional Business Link guy just today. Had a couple opf questions about VAT so thought I'd pick his brains which he was more than happy to do. I think its important to find out what the rep for them has done previously. Mine was a in banking for 30 years and as such I tend to send queries about such things to him. If it was a retail question i might ask elswhere.

They are a good resource but they are only human like the rest of us and in general are only offering an opinion.

Business link in the E Midlands works pretty well, although I agree that a lot can depend on the individuals (us and them!).
The free presentations that I've been to have all been given by people who are still working in their specialist field - but are very disciplined about not promoting themselves in the presentation. and there's quite a regular and wide choice. A BL bod is also on hand.
There is a great mentoring program, heavily subsidised, and again, I personally know that some (possibly all) of the mentors are still actively involved in their own businesses.
And the supplier accreditation program (run thru' EMDA) has benefited both suppliers and recipients (even if the paperwork is a bit onerous - well it is government!)

One suggestion to see how good your local BL are: how often do they pop up at breakfast/evening networking events?
And I don't mean the formal BNI stuff. I see a BL bod at FSB, and a couple of others, at least every three months.

End of speech!
One vote here for Business Link

I've found Business Link really useful. The free seminars I've been to were helpful and I feel more confident to start up on my own.

My experience of Business Link has generally been positive - they have some good people that can provide good advice. They are also very good for networking generally.

However, I don't know how much our local BL costs to run so cannot assess whether it is value for money. Our local "chamber", Sussex Enterprise, is pretty useless though and it's just as well they reduced their fees from £285pa to ~ £95 otherwise I'd have left them a couple of years ago!

Hi All,

Business Link Suck; Payed by Tax Payers money for doing very little work in return. My experience with these lot, has only shown me a bunch of out of touch failures.

Seriously, they should all be sacked and their easy wages put to better use; let this be grants etc... That would be much better.

Once I tried to make a complaint to their head off. never had a response from them. And I am sure that the branch in Norfolk has got to be the worst of the lot, old bunch of failures, cannot teach Businesses any thing, other than how to fail.

Would someone new to the Entertainment sector take advise from Michael Jackson? I thinks not!

Regards,

Voiceswf

Strong views, have you seen how much they get paid. Quite well is all I would say!

Now here's a thought!
Anyone from Business Link on this forum?
and if so, would they like to offer a view?

Hi All,

What would be a far better system; is to let "like-to-like" who run businesses to get paid for giving their advice to Start-Ups etc... Many may argue that this would create competition. A competitive edge, bring it on!

This would be money worth spending, and I am sure it would be something we could all benefit from.

I personally would prefer to take advice from a person actually running his/her business; current up-to-date knowledge, "Yes we can".

Seriously, from my experience most of these 'REGIONAL' agencies SUCK, and enjoy their easy but highly paid roles. About time people woke up to this waste.

Regards,

Voiceswf

Had BL phone me up today, I called them out to help me a year ago and found them to be totally useless. They wanted to come see me again for an update, see if they could help.

All they want is me to sign and fill in their daft questionnaire, so they can claim for their time from some quango or other government funded waste of money.

Can of worms and some misconceptions, but I generally concur with the sceptism re Business Link. Government money going to private organisations actually (SERCO run business link in Devon & Cornwall), which explains the preference for telephone support and the target based 6 and a half minutes to spend on each call.

Individual appreciation of Business Link's offering varies from region to region as commercially they are run by different private companies who may have different private agenda's. Individual appreciation also depends on any previous experience of alternative business support and if there are any alternative providers in the local area.

We kick Business Link's backside in most instances, we are not for profit and we always give 1:1 face to face contact. Unfortunately we don't kick their *rse in marketing or event attendance as we haven't got the cash. Business Link are good at being at the right places and looking like every other suit at a business event.

As for fatcat salaries, that is to be frank b*ll*cks. The average business advisor at our place earns £20K - £24K. What is also interesting is that some of the advisors run their own businesses outside of the job, so they are practising what they preach. I am in the process of starting my fourth business as we speak, have learnt from my previous mistakes and successes and am enthused by aspects I have learnt on the job.

Incidentally, I was at an ACAS event today and of the £43million the government throws their way they are spending a sizeable slice on..... you guessed it telephone call centres to manage the volume of enquiries. Great if you want a one sentence response, or an off the shelf solution to your employee relations difficulties, but bl**dy rubbish if you actually want to speak to someone face to face in an environment where you can show them what you do and how you do it. When will anybody ever learn??? Oh yeah, they too have been allocated 6 and a half minutes to deal with the calls!

I met with business link today, having had the pre conceived idea that they were a bit like citizens advice - and whilst they do a great job, I don't really have any outstanding issues in my business practices - things are going smoothly - but they were at the start up business show in London today, and I was there, so I thought i'd drop in and see what they could offer.

At first when I sat down with a consultant, I was still thinking along the lines of citizens advice and that I would actually have to talk enough until they found a problem - but it was'nt like that at all.

I was really interested in more networking events and more ways to market the business offline. After about 20 minutes I came away with so much useful information that I was so eager to share with people - and still am (hence this posting!) - for instance, did anyone know that the British Library allows free access to databases such as kompass.com (just take along a memory stick and fill your excel boots) - Pretty cool, huh!?

Well I thought so.

AND - if you live within the M25 there is a scheme where you can have someone actually do 3 hours of research for you, for free!

So, if you want a mailing list, of 25-30yr old businesses, that are based in SW1, have a turnover of more than 1 million and have dark brown hair- these guys can help, and for no cost.

Business link seems to really want to help and educate businesses that were there today - they valued everyones business whether it is a window cleaner or a stock broker. So good to know.

Well I knowof at least two business advisers at my local business links who are actually in business themselves.They both leave their partners to run the businesses while they work.One has won awards too for her business so they are certainly not old has beens.It all depends where you live to be honest and there isn't really any alternative for free business advice where we live.
However the main hang up I have is everytime I have looke dto them for help eg a secuirty grant, its a case of heres the forms fill them in.I thought they would actually take the time to come out and see you and help you fill forms in etc? Hence the forms are still out the bakc of the shop as I simply do not have time to sit and go through these, its bad enough trying to keep my own paperwork up todate