The Greenways Partnership

“Success is a journey, not a destination.”

Small Business Survey 2004

What would improve the Suffolk small business community?

The purpose of this question was to uncover the “wish list” of the Suffolk small business community in terms of those areas that would help the small businesses in undertaking their work. It was intended that the answers to this question could be used to inform those intermediaries who service the small business community in tailoring their provision.

 

At the outset, we expected two broad categories of answers. We felt that there would be a good number of small businesses who would struggle to answer the question, simply because they had not given it a great deal of thought. Of those who did answer positively, we expected the three usual suspects (better transport links, better Broadband availability, and a better Public Sector) to dominate the answer. We were a bit surprised by the actual results.

 

The answers received fell into seven categories, which can be tabulated as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our anticipated answers were well represented by the survey. Together, 22.7% of the sample failed to give an answer because they didn’t have one or because the couldn’t think of one on the spot. A further 33.5% responded in terms of the expected areas of transport (6.3%), better Broadband facilities (16.3%), and a better public sector (10.9%). The responses covered a wide range of issues. For example, of those who felt that better transport links were the most important factor, about half wanted better road links, especially along the A140, and half wanted better rail links to London. Only one respondent stated that they wanted better air links and mourned the closure of Ipswich Airport.

 

Of those who wishes for a better public sector, about two thirds wished for better services at the level of local government and about a third wished for better services at the level of national government. The majority wished for better government in the form of less red tape whilst the remainder tended to wish for a more co-ordinated and consistent approach to small business from all governmental agencies.

 

The two surprise areas of response were the need for better networking opportunities (26.3% of the sample) and for a more developed business community in Suffolk (17.5%). We felt that, as these were issues raised by a large proportion of the sample, and as they were quite unexpected, we would focus on investigating these areas in greater depth.

 

We followed the issue of better networking opportunities as this is an area in which we are involved commercially. Overall, the responses in this area fell into two categories. The first is the desire to see a more open business community in Suffolk. It was felt that the business community as it is at present is too much of an Old Boys Network, which is very insular, very inward looking, and very difficult for outsiders to break into. This has a number of manifestations. For example, one respondent (a Red business) stated that “there is too much based in Ipswich. We need more local events.” Alternatively, another respondent (an Orange business) said that they “would like to see less of the Old Boys Network.” Alternatively, yet another respondent (a Blue business) said that there “ought to be more interaction at networking clubs”.

 

The second way in which networking opportunities could be enhanced was through the better promotion of Suffolk businesses. It was felt that the Suffolk business community fails to show itself in the best light. One respondent (a Blue business) wished that there were “more opportunities for businesses to get together and [develop] a platform to promote business.” Additionally, another respondent (a Red business) just wished that there was a “greater awareness of where Suffolk is.” Alternatively, yet another respondent (a Blue business) felt that  “small business organisations should campaign to make the public more aware of their existence.”

 

We concluded that the sample were asking for better networking opportunities as a better range of networking events would help to open the Suffolk business community whilst allowing for the development of promotional opportunities for Suffolk business.

 

This, in turn, touched upon what people meant by wishing that Suffolk had a more developed business community. In this area, most responses wished that policy makers in Suffolk, both in the private sector and in the public sector, exhibited a greater vision of the future and leadership in the present to turn that vision into reality.

 

We warmed to this response, as we felt that it vindicated one of the bases under which the Small Business Project had been started. For example, one respondent (a Red business) stated that he wished that there was a “wider vision for the future”. Alternatively, another respondent (a Green business) told us that they looked for a “greater motivation to go out there and get the business”, by which they felt that a clearer vision of the future would provide an incentive for people to develop their businesses. Again, another respondent (a Red business) stated that they wises that Suffolk business had “a wider vision - being prepared to spend money on [the] promotion their business”. Many of those who responded in this area looked for a greater development in the Suffolk business community, but were at a loss to suggest where the leadership and vision to develop the Suffolk business community would come from.

 

This would suggest that there is something of a policy void in this area in Suffolk. The public agencies are attempting to provide leadership in the development of the Suffolk business community. However, the political process is such that they are unable to develop the necessary vision for this leadership. The public sector is deeply distrusted by the small business community as being fundamentally anti-business. It is possible that the Chamber of Commerce might develop to fill this void, should they exhibit the necessary foresight. As one respondent (a Beige business) said, “we could be better support by banks and bodies within Suffolk such as the Chamber of Commerce.”

 

In all, this was the question with, perhaps, the most surprising results. The expected results were present, but we were surprised by the number of respondents who said that better networking opportunities and a better vision for the small business community would improve the Suffolk small business community. In many ways, this reflects upon the self-image of the Suffolk small business community, an issue which the final question examines directly.

 

© The Greenways Partnership Limited 2004

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