Can business angels help?
01.05.09 Sarah Butler In the midst of the grimmest recession that most of us will have lived through, with belt tightening the order of the day, expansion might be the last thing on the mind of most in the book trade. But history shows that tough times often lead to the gestation of new business ideas and opportunities, particularly for small and medium-size enterprises (SME). The difficulty in a downturn, of course, is not just having the nerve to expand, but finding the resources. In the current financial crisis, it may be easy to believe from media reports that banks have closed their doors and there is no point in knocking, no matter how exciting your plan is. Fortunately for those with a good idea, that story seems to be somewhat overdone. “We are living in interesting economic times but we have to get it in proportion. It’s not Armageddon,” says John Grange, an adviser for government-backed-advisory service Business Link. “Business life is still going on and my plea to businesses
