We received an e-mail this morning from the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce seeking member views on a new BBC documentary “Recession Britain”. The aim of the programme is focus on one firm that is struggling to survive the recession and how that struggle will impact on their supply chain, particularly the smaller firms that are part of it.
My immediate thought was why don't they follow it up with a programme on businesses that are actually doing well at the moment? There are more of these businesses around than people might think, and such a programme would provide encouragement for struggling and nervous businesses, rather than their proposed programme which will surely just exacerbate the situation.
People are more positive than is generally recognised in the media at present (witness today’s figures on consumer confidence which show an improvement since January), something that was reconfirmed at a breakfast seminar I attended organised by the accountants Smith and Williamson. Two well known names in the entrepreneurial world, Guy Rigby, Head Of Entrepreneurs at SandW and an old friend of Orchard, and Mike Southon, founder of the Beermat series of entrepreneur guides and regular FT columnist, combined in an entertaining double act to emphasise that there are always reasons to be optimistic as long as the basics of good management are adhered to.
Admittedly their optimism was tempered by a more pessimistic (or realistic? - take your pick) view from Mark Garnett, Director of Financial Services at SandW about the state of the British economy and its future prospects. OK we know it is not fun out there, and it seems that the BBC and other media take every opportunity to remind us of this. However we also all know deep down that the current economic battle is one that the optimists have to win.
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