Click here to read the transcript
Julie Jordan Spence runs family businesses Jordan Motors Ltd and Practical Car & Van Rental Ltd, based in Leicester, and is an FSB member.
How did you find out about FSB?
My dad founded the business in 1962 and was an FSB member in the 1970’s. He was very passionate about small businesses as he was self-employed and was a member for many years. His neighbour was also self-employed so they both joined FSB and I think they even got involved with something that was happening with the government at the time.
I’d been invited to a networking meeting one evening and really enjoyed it. It fit with how we were doing business. When you’re running a small business, you need that back-up to make sure you’re up to date with legal issues and legislation. Everything moves so quickly, but with FSB it’s all in one place, easy to use and good quality.
What impact does your FSB membership have on you as a business owner?
It makes you feel more confident because it’s there. With furlough, there were a couple of questions I wasn’t sure about, and there was someone at the end of the phone that we could talk to.
I couldn’t have kept up with all the coronavirus changes on my own, but on the website all the information was there for you to keep up to date. The updates were coming out daily, and all the significant information was there on the FSB website. It makes it a lot easier when you’ve got so much on your plate that you can just check FSB once a day. It was life-saving and I’m so pleased to be a member.
Do you attend any FSB networking events and how have they helped you?
I’m the new monthly host for the FSB Leicestershire and Rutland networking! It’s such a good thing to meet with other business owners. Leicester is so vibrant and even though times have been difficult, you can see how people are adjusting their businesses and working through it. We’re all in it together and trying to help each other out.
What advice do you have for other small businesses during this time?
My advice is to keep going. We’ll get through this, but you’ve got to pay attention to things like cash flow. There’s people and information there to help you if you look on the FSB website.