Finally, last month many businesses received the long-awaited dates for reopening of the various sectors. With the initial Executive “roadmap” failing to give us indicative dates, small businesses had been patiently waiting to hear what the conditions would be for restrictions to be eased and what that would look like. Understandably, there was caution with the return to school for our children in the first instance but there is no denial that this has been a stressful and challenging time – only heightened by the lack of clear target dates or indicators/benchmarks to be achieved. Small businesses across Northern Ireland who have been patiently waiting in the “on your marks” position for months received their (albeit caveated) green light.
So with close contact services and non-essential retail now up and running and the partial reopening of hospitality and some tourism, leisure & gyms etc. there is some optimism on the horizon. One would wonder if Mother Nature was conspiring when the ordinarily mild bank holiday weekend brought us some wet and wild weather rendering many of the beer tents and outdoor eating spaces too exposed to the elements for customers. We also heard many stories of venues being unable to open despite heavy investment and resourcing because they were deemed to contravene the guidelines. These terrible last-minute blows and cancelled bookings compounding what has been an incredibly difficult period for hospitality businesses. We can only hope that the forthcoming weather and further relaxation of restrictions to be discussed on Thursday 13th will provide a more favourable platform for our businesses to rebuild and grow.
It seems incredible that the local FSB team are still receiving queries from members around their applications for the support schemes (LRSS and CRBSS). Still at this late stage of the game where businesses are reopening after months of restrictions, they are still being faced with unanswered questions regarding their applications and appeals. We would implore that the Department of Finance and Department of Economy efficiently examine any outstanding cases and queries and engage with those impacted. These business owners have acted responsibly by closing their businesses when asked to but now risk losing everything because they haven’t been financially supported to follow the public health regulations.
On the policy side of things some of you may have read FSB Northern Ireland’s joint report with the Ulster University Business School, “Back To The Start Up” (launched in April). There are serious questions raised within the report around the ‘timid’ business birth rates, the gender imbalance within business starts and whether current support is focusing on the right outcomes. The team has been engaging with a number of stakeholders on the report findings in order to properly galvanise the entrepreneurial spirit of our population. We can already see cultural issues proving to be a barrier, where traditional academic achievement is seen as more important than experience or practical skills. It is rare to hear “I want to be a business owner when I grow up” from school children and this should be challenged. Why is it not a more common aspiration among our youth? Why does it not seem like a viable career aspiration from an early age? We will continue to work on this key area to unpick the issues and perceived barriers in the development of future Start-Up activity.
Another hot topic at present is around the Net Zero discussion as we patiently wait for the outcome of the Climate legislation under discussion at Stormont. FSB Northern Ireland were involved in the organisation of a “Business Journey to Net Zero” virtual conference alongside BEIS and NIO at the end of April. The whole concept of “Net Zero” can seem like a daunting thing for small businesses to address but what the conference illustrated was that everything begins with baby steps. Those small conscious decisions around recycling policies in the staff room, assessing the practices of your energy provider, fixing a leaky tap in a bathroom are all beginnings of the journey. During the conference we heard inspiring case study examples from some wonderful small businesses including Specialist Joinery Group, Environmental Street Furniture, The Electric Storage Company, NearyNógs Chocolate and Granville Eco Park – all illustrating how necessary it is to make that first step. There are several support organisations out there to assist you on the journey and FSB have been working closely with BITCNI in their “Climate Action Pledge” activity – so that is a great place to start to gather information.
Our local team continue to provide support and current information to our members, so do contact us with your issues and feel free to join our support event on Wed 19th May around Covid Support Financials with CavanaghKelly Accountants. In this session we will discuss things like the Recovery loan Scheme, repayments of Bounce Back Loans etc. We hope that the next few weeks bring continued prosperity and a smooth reopening for remaining sectors, with the term “lockdown” firmly one for the past! Stay safe and stay hopeful.
Please feel free to contact us with topics you would like this column to cover or for general feedback on the small business issues FSB Northern Ireland should be working on by emailing [email protected] or contacting your local Development Manager [email protected]. The special Covid Hub on www.fsb.org.uk has relevant resources and information available for all small businesses and the self-employed. Our members have full access to the legal hub and 24/7 employment & legal helpline for guidance and advice.