The Conservatives have decided to close down Business Link should they take power.
“Business Link is failing in its task”, Mark Prisk, Conservative
The shadow business minister, Mark Prisk, looks favourably on the enterprise agency network, and I’m not surprised. It’s been around since the 70s, weathering many, many upheavals in the so-called enterprise or business support sector, helping tens of thousands of people into self-employment or to start a new business.
The body that represents enterprise agencies in England, the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies, yesterday strengthened its claim as a key influencer of policy for the next administration.
With perfect timing, it has released its Enterprise Manifesto, which sets out a sensible case for more local advisers working one to one with start-ups and businesspeople.
The manifesto is careful to praise the government’s online interface with business, Business Link, as a ‘superb source of generic advice’. After all, many enterprise agencies have contracts with Business Link to deliver start-up and other business support services.
The manifesto points out the huge importance and growth of peer-to-peer and social networking (as an everyday business tool for many entrepreneurs).
There are several very good business advice websites (see my favourites in the bullet points below) with strong forums and communities. These commercial sites bend over backwards to allow their communities to interact, feedback and improve their service. I should know, I was part of the team that launched one of the best: Marketing Donut.
But Business Link seems is noticeable by its absence from the party. It does feature interactive toolkits and the like, but there is no community that I can identify.
It prefers to be (an admittedly excellent) depository of mostly flat content.
Whoever takes power after the election, and however the business support chairs are moved around, policy decision-makers cannot ignore how businesspeople connect and share their experiences and knowledge in the online communities they trust.
