If it's good, make it better and overwhelm the bad.

I am a member of a couple of small business groups. One thing that comes up over and over again is the fear that if Jeremy Corbyn does ever get into power he will tax small businesses to the hilt making it almost impossible to operate never mind employ more people. Mind you having said that I am not sure I could take the stress of employing even one more person. Everything is stacked against the employer these days and the employee (like the customer) is always right. I am completely fed up with pussy footing around "personalities" . Don't tell that one off for being late, if you let that one leave early, don't say no to a day off even if they have no holidays left, don't ask them to wash their bloody cup after them if it's not in the "job description"....... I could go on and on. It does annoy me when tiny organizations such as ours are forced to pay corporation tax on our meagre profits when that money would be better left within the company in order to secure jobs/employ another member of staff/grow the business/replace equipment etc. but successive governments are too short sighted for that, they think that ALL business owners, however small the enterprise are "rolling in it". I know who the well off people are in our small business and it most certainly is not the owner.

I can never understand how governments cannot appreciate the effort that goes into running a business and employing people who all pax their taxes. Why are we not celebrated for doing what we do? After all it is private enterprise that enables us to have the public services that we do. Well there you go that's my rant for the day.....

Calm down dear it's only a GN forum .

Only a GN forum, gillybob but it does get a lot of hot air, much of which would be better employed blowing into a turbine to generate some electricity.

For some reason, business is a dirty word here. Is it a hangover from the shame of being "in trade" ? "Profit" is a dirty word too. Without profit no business can invest in the future.

Well I think it's about time people who are willing to employ others (and add to the economy) are celebrated instead of vilified. I am not blowing my own trumpet here, far from it, we are just a tiny cog in a giant wheel and if I had my time over I honestly wouldn't do it again. My DH is 64 and will be working (and I mean physical work, not playing at it) until he quite literally drops. I look at many of my friends and relations who have either worked for someone else in a private business or in the public sector and I can't help but feel we are getting a really raw deal of things.

It seems to be part of the 'them and us' mentality of some, who assume that all businesses are exploiting their staff and not paying enough taxes (yes, you are allowed a hollow laugh, gillybob...)

So how would you change that for the better? I mean, practical things, not mass brain transplants.

Legislation? What?
Education? What? How? Who?
Publicity - "marketing" employers as good things instead of denigrating them as bloodsuckers? How?

Ranting is good therapy, but it changes nothing.

A relaxation of various restrictions and processes that business have to go through. I'm not referring to health and safety but the amount of paperwork that has to be completed, the complicated taxation system etc. Make life simpler for the small business and they will prosper and employ more people.

Adding a bit about how businesses are started and run and their finances, in the relevant school curriculum? Along with how the country is run and financed, too - so many people think of "government money" as something completely separate from any other kind of money.

Blimey gillybob you seem very unlucky with your employees.
Most of the small businesses I know value their staff tremendously, and work together as a team really well.

Oh crikey we do value our staff whitewaveWe value them so much. We fully appreciate that as engineers they could easily get a job with a bigger more wealthy company and probably get better wages too. Therefore we literally bend over backwards to keep them. Most people wouldn't understand but we have Nissan almost on our doorstep. I would be here a day of I listed the benefits we give our staff in order to keep them.

Pleased to hear it, you must value their loyalty and are obviously rewarding them for it, as they could clearly work for more money elswhere.

Do th.e benefits add up to more than the salary they could get elsewhere?

I'm not sure, I suppose they must do or they wouldn't stay would they? I'm not talking about "money" benefits you understand I am talking about little things that a larger employer would not allow. Things like popping home to let the dog out (I kid you not), coming in late during school holidays, working Saturdays instead of Fridays, using our vans to help someone move house, treating everyone to a McDonalds (or whatever) when we are extra busy, allowing extra paid holidays. I have even babysat in my office. As I said most people wouldn't understand.

My DD and SIL run a small business based in their barn. They employ two people and invest any profits in houses which they let out to provide more rented accommodation for others. They are decent honest landlords and run their business with integrity.

There are things that would make it easier for them to do that. Less complicated tax laws would mean they would not expend vast amounts of money and time each year on help from an accountant. Better broadband connection would definitely help; it is a real problem here. More support for maternity leave - both their employees are women and maternity leave has cost them dear in the last few years.

The new minimum wage, whilst superficially laudable, will not be a huge problem for them as their business is thriving, but there will be small businesses that could fold due to that. Sounds good on paper, but could be a serious problem and throw people out of work.

I will give it further thought.

Yes Elegran I think that would be a very positive step. Most young people haven't got a clue where the money actually comes from to run the likes of the NHS or pay teachers salaries etc. I agree they think the money comes from the government and probably don't get the connection between making and selling a product/employing people to do it/paying taxes etc. mind you I don't think it's just young people who don't get it.

These are the things that make working for somebody worthwhile and builds teamwork and loyalty ( Gillybobs small firm ) it more than makes up for a tad more money. so yes, relax restrictions around small business and banks lend more money to them, also banks lend more to anone with what sounds like a good business idea.

I still think that the minimum wage needs to rise though, glad that it will do
Thanks to this Government, because if we always think of reasons to allow some business to pay less then two things would happen, small business could not attract staff, and unscrupulous business owners would always use their 'small ness' as a reason to underpay.We are not talking about huge salaries here but a decent living wage.

Investment in intangibles would be good to - it is not just about money and imports/exports.

The opportunity for children to participate in cultural activities which help them to absorb "higher things", like a love of music, literature, and a sense of personal worth. All children should have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument free - it should be part of a rounded education. The arts in general in education should be funded and encouraged, rather that dwindle away. It is a hard thing to do at a time of recession, but it will pay dividends in the future.

We do pay a decent wage roses . As do most small businesses. We only employed qualified people. We cannot however compete with the wages of huge organizations who get government money thrown at them.

Creating apprenceships, not encouraging 50% of the Nations teenagers to go to University( crazy in itself) but to take up a trade instead.So that's through education in the schools.For a long time pursuing a trade has been looked down on by schools and parents in favour of doing degrees on peculiar subjects in third rate Universities, that do nothing for the future of the person doing it.

Oh gillybob you have hit a note with me. I honestly would not run a business if I knew then what I know now. I am sick of hearing politicians of all hues lauding small business at the same time as they dump more and more responsibilities on us. Yes, I consider myself a fair employer, I pay as well as the business allows, I am very flexible on time off etc., but I honestly dont think that the loyalty is reciprocated. However, to get back to the question......I think we should be educating children in the basics of how things work; how taxes are raised and how the decisions are made about the spending, there are many adults who have absolutely no idea of where money comes from for public services. I would also like a publication of tax revenues from large companies with projected versus actual corporation tax figures, thus I can decide who I will spend money with.

As I have said many times before on various threads. The minimum wage could rise to whatever, but we will have to be prepared for the price of everything we buy and services we use to increase in price also. A factory churning out widgets at 10p a time would have to put those same widgets up to 11-12p if they were forced to increase the wage of the person minding the machine. Which in a sense leaves many people back where they started.

Of course Gillybob, I am sure you do. I was trying to make the point that some small employers would baulk at paying more, as and when the improved living wage takes effect.

And banks to be involved in mentoring schemes for the people who ask to borrow money for a business idea? Established businessmen/women who know the pitfalls and can give advice, and show potential start-ups round their own place where the successful practices are in place, for human resources and money flow and so on.

More TV programmes about work not just the Dragon's Den and The Apprentice type shows, but about relationships within a business,
about how getting paid on time or not for contracts can make or break a small firm,

how employees putting in value for their pay and not skiving can mean the firm is able to expand and take on more staff, and ultimately be morelikely to still be there employing people in the future,

how there is more to being an employer than paying wages - understanding genuine reasons for needing time off and being fair to all the workers can keep a them onside,

how the 'elf and safety rules are applied and why.

(My laptop wanted to put "meteoring schemes". They are for rapidly rising high-flyers, presumably)

I agree wholeheartedly there, roses. Proper careers advice at school, with just as much emphasis placed on the importance of getting proper training such as an apprenticeship or learning 'on the job' as pursuing further education. Try to instill a sense of pride in being able to actually create things/mend things/make things work properly.

I also think that we should manufacture more, not compete with China and churn out cheap stuff, but revive the Made In Britain badge of confidence that we make items of quality.