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Battling the credit crunch
MORE than 145,000 South East businesses and entrepreneurs turned to Business Link for advice and support over the past year, reveal figures from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).
Enquiries in January 2009 were nearly 70 per cent higher than January 2008, as businesses sought advice on how to respond to the recession. SEEDA, which funds Business Link in the South East, has committed 24 million to ensure the service can continue to meet demand in the coming financial year.
The quality of Business Link's advice and support is highlighted by a 92 per cent customer satisfaction rating. Despite challenging conditions, a separate survey showed Business Link customers are twice as likely to expect growth over the next 12 months compared with non-customers.
As well as helping existing businesses, Business Link also helped 3,100 entrepreneurs across the south east to launch a business. James Brathwaite, SEEDA Chairman, said, "These figures show the amount of work Business Link is doing to help businesses tackle this recession, and that this help is clearly needed.
"Business Link has evolved and adapted to provide services that suit the current economic climate. South east businesses are responding – for example 8,500 businesses have now taken advantage of the free health checks service."
Jonathan Shaw, Minister for the South East, said, "Business Link is a crucial front line defence in the fightback against recession – a place to go to find what the government's Real Help Now initiative means for real businesses.
"I often hear from business owners about how much they value the information and support they receive from Business Link's advisers which is a tribute to their hard work and professional manner."
Business owner Antony Reynolds, of Crawley-based Outdoor Solutions, endorsed the value of Business Link help, "There's times when you get into uncharted territory so it's good to have that support. Without Business Link, I wouldn't have had the level of forward planning, and I don't know if I'd actually (still] be in business."
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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