For some commentators it has been a “totally unprecedented” 12 months with Britain voting for Brexit, Donald becoming US president, Marine in the final two and now Theresa calling a snap general election. None of them anticipated by the pundits and so, according to them, the rest of us should be feeling deeply unsettled, un-nerved and, as businesses, unwilling to make decisions.
Some in the press seem to be delighting in saying “what is going to derail us next?”
Stepping back from the headlines, what has really changed for SMEs in the UK (or Europe, the US or anywhere else)?
The BattleAxe conducted poll of her own and 9 out of ten owners said their businesses weren’t seeing anything out of the ordinary…..or to put it another way: “Nowt’s changed!”
All reported normal worries about making sure they sell enough; that customers pay on time; that suppliers deliver and don’t hike their prices; and keeping their fingers crossed that staff turn up after the all-night election coverage.
Yes, currency movements impacting costs concern them but most see this as a blip and none saw a risk that the supply chain will break down. In fact “businesses all over the world need to sell to survive and no government will cut off the tax paying hand that feeds them” is what one told the BattleAxe.
Yet there’s still a word left hanging in the air, full of meaning and emphasis: “but…”
“So what’s the issue then?” the BattleAxe muses as she polishes her rolling pin, “why is business behaving like its doubting its self-confidence when nothing has fundamentally changed?”
Then realisation strikes: “Ah yes, it’s like coming down from Holme Moss on my bike – I don’t entirely believe that the brakes will stop me at the bottom! I know that the likelihood is miniscule, but I read online that someone did come off on a hill recently so it could happen!” The repeated implication of problems ahead eventually breeds doubt on everything from whether Europe might shut us out to whether Trump could decide to bomb Holmfirth chasing ISIS insurgents. After all, no-one expected the somewhat depleted Swinton Lions to play a blinder against the Giants, did they?
There are three ways of dealing with this nagging voice in your head - ignore it and hope it won’t happen; plan for every eventuality no matter how remote, including oil, brake cables failing and a puncture all on the same corner; or business as normal with an escape plan for the steepest slopes. The Elves sometimes go for option 2 – its virtue being it rarely leaves them disappointed - but it does use a lot of time that could be better employed on billable work.
The BattleAxe recommends option 3 - her plan is to get those brakes checked ahead of the First of the Summer Tri on 14 May and make sure that there are marshals suitably positioned at the bottom of the long hills…..after all, rolling rolling-pins gather no moss!
No comments:
Post a Comment