Towards the tail end of last year many people running smaller businesses were clinging on to the hope that 2010 would herald some kind of new start. People would begin to spend money again, wouldn’t they? The hope was that mothballed plans of all sorts would be dusted down and given a fresh impetus.
Somehow, the recent announcement that we are officially no longer in recession was a damp squib.
Yet… there does seem to be a sniff of optimism in the air.
This idea that a new year can mean a new start is strongly echoed by people in Bristol’s business support sector. Liz Sands, Chief Exec of the leading enterprise agency, BRAVE, says the outlook has changed in recent weeks. “People are noticeably more optimistic since Christmas. Our business training courses were booked out through January. February is looking very busy, too. Most of the people using our services now are new to us; they’ve come to us to help them make a new start in business.”
Ideas for new business are coming thick and fast, too.
Justin Ricks, one of BRAVE’s business adviser’s, also believes things are on the up this year. “People have been through the mill these last 18 months. A lot were made redundant. They were despondent, but now there’s a kind of self-belief. They’re exploring whether self-employment could work for them. And we are seeing plenty of solid business ideas coming through the door. We’re pretty upbeat about the spirit of enterprise in Bristol.”
Enterprise agencies have been at the coalface of enterprise support for 25 years. Find your local enterprise agency.
