29 January 2010

SMEs invited to have their say on business support

The existing government support network for small medium enterprises (SMEs) comes under scrutiny and discussion in Truro next month (23 February 2010), when The Chartered Institute of Marketing's Shape the Agenda event for marketers, business owners and managers highlights the successes and difficulties that SMEs in Cornwall face in accessing business advice and support.

The UK government increasingly refers to SMEs as the powerhouse of our future economy but what exactly are they doing to support them and what does the business community think they should be doing?

In Cornwall the economy is completely dependent upon its SMEs. There are over 21,500 businesses registered for VAT and/or PAYE that employ less than 250 people, the definition for an SME, and only 35 larger employers*. Additionally, Cornwall has the largest proportion of self-employed people in the UK - a whopping 16 per cent of working-age people in the county were self employed in 2008** and many of these will not be included in the SME statistic.

A discussion white paper 'Access All Areas? was published by The Chartered  Institute of Marketing at the end of last year to promote discussion on how the role of government might best evolve to suit the disparate requirements of SMEs. Mark Stuart, head of research at the Institute will present the key themes at the discussion evening. Mark will be joined by representatives from Business Link and Convergence, who will outline the type of help currently on offer to SME's in the region, and members of the business community who will discuss their experiences.

Mark Stuart, head of research at The Chartered Institute of Marketing explains; 'There's a range of information, grants, assistance and training available from government, but many small and medium-sized companies don't pick up on this for a number of reasons. There is also an issue in treating 'SMEs' as one body as the needs of a micro business can be far removed from a medium sized business employing 200 people.  We really want to hear from marketers and business owner managers in the region on the subject and their experiences.'

The Chartered Institute of Marketing is stimulating this debate because many business development issues are at their core marketing issues and this impacts on a businesses' growth prospects and ultimately the growth of the future economy.

Mark continues; 'We know SMEs seek help on three key business issues: access to finance, general business information and assistance on marketing. There is a range of options to obtain finance, but very few ways of accessing good professional marketing support.'

Local business woman and The Chartered Institute of Marketing South West regional board vice-chair, Sue Windley, who will be chairing the event comments: 'We are delighted to have the chance to get a discussion going on what support is out there and what SMEs really need from Government agencies. The CIM has identified that often the key problem is communicating what is actually available to the right audience.' Ms Windley continues;  'The term 'SME' itself covers such a variety of business types and sizes - so I'm sure there will be some lively debate about how these different businesses want to progress and access help.  We also know that many CIM members will be keen to prove their worth as we have such a great source of marketing knowledge available ' and it simply needs the right connection to fire up some great collaborations.'

The event takes place at the Hall of Cornwall on 23 February 2010 from 18:00 to 20:00. To book a place to attend the Shape the Agenda event  please email:  cimevents@cim.co.uk or call 01628 427340. To obtain a copy of the full discussion paper, 'Access All Areas? ', please contact the Institute's Library and Information Service; email library@cim.co.uk.

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