Warning over small business confidence
4th October 2019.
James Salmon, Operations Director.
Warning over small business confidence
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) says confidence among small companies is weaker now than in the aftermath of the financial crisis.
The FSB’s sentiment index, which tracks 1,245 members’ optimism over trading prospects, has been negative for five consecutive quarters, a first in the nine-year history of the research.
The poll shows that almost two-thirds of members (63%) do not expect their performance to improve in the next three months, while almost half (44%) expect things to get worse – the largest proportion in five years.
The SME sector is urging the government to secure a Brexit deal and produce “radical policy interventions to arrest a dogged lack of confidence” among business owners.
Long-term planning for small businesses has been hit, the index shows, with exports and investment plans both dropping and hiring intentions also in decline.
Exporters are hit hard by political turmoil
The poll indicates that ongoing uncertainty in the political and economic landscape has particularly hit those firms that do business internationally.
Only a quarter of small business owners reported an increase in exports over the past three months, the lowest proportion in five years.
FSB national chairman Mike Cherry said: “These findings must serve as an urgent wake-up call for policymakers. Even in the aftermath of the financial crash, we didn’t see such a sustained string of negative confidence readings . . . Three years of political uncertainty and rising costs have stifled output and left small firms unable to plan, invest and grow.”
Small businesses want end to ‘Brexit paralysis’
Mr Cherry has voiced his concern about the Prime Minister’s warning to the European Union at the Conservative Party conference that the UK is ready to leave the EU on October 31st “come what may” unless the bloc responds favourably to the PM’s final withdrawal offer.
“The UK’s 5.6 million small businesses are the backbone of this country and its economy . . . [and] are crying out for an end to the Brexit paralysis, which is stifling growth and strangling progress on important domestic priorities . . . Leaving the EU with no deal at the end of the month is a frightening prospect for many small firms, whose successful contribution to the economy is based upon strategy and forward-planning, not dropping off the end of a cliff and hoping for the best,” he said.
Scottish small business confidence ‘evaporates’
In Scotland, the FSB says confidence among small firms “evaporated” over the summer months.
Andrew McRae, FSB’s Scotland policy chairman, said: “Many smaller firms are trapped between the rock of increased overheads and the hard place of an uncertain economic future . . . Policymakers must take action on both of these fronts: taking action to reduce costs and providing certainty.”
He added: “We must see progress on avoiding a no-deal, no-transition Brexit . . . While firms must do what they can to prepare for this outcome, it would be unforgivable if good Scottish businesses go to the wall because of political games.”
Do you sell on credit to small businesses?
With falling confidence among SMEs, it is essential that you avoid being over-exposed to companies who are cutting back on spending and who are being especially wary of their own cash flow.
Those customers will look for the easiest option to boost their cash-flow. Don’t let it be you.
You can’t just assume your customers can and will pay you eventually, no matter how long you have been trading with them.
It is essential to have credit management systems in place to monitor and check your customers current credit worthiness.
It is also best practice to use a trusted third party like CPA to make sure you are paid on time by customers, no matter how safe you assume they are.
About CPA
The Credit Protection Association can help!
Formed in 1914, CPA has been providing credit management services to SMEs for over 100 years.
At the Credit Protection Association, we provide first class credit information that can help you avoid being over extended to customers who are at risk. Our monitoring service can flag up warning signs long before the end, giving you the chance to adjust and reduce your exposure. We provide recommended credit limits and credit scores on a traffic light system and can help you set appropriate credit policies for your customers.
We regularly publish lists of the latest insolvencies but by then it is too late. Our credit reports however predict approximately 96% of company insolvencies long before they arrive.
Companies in trouble usually have very bad cash flow and they try to deal with it by delaying payment to their suppliers, increasing your exposure to them.
If you supply on credit, help us help you identify the risks.
Why use a third party collector?
As a third party collector, we can also get your payments prioritised over those who are not as hot on collections. When you customer receives a letter from the Credit Protection Association regarding their outstanding account, they are going to want to get that resolved as a priority. Our overdue account recovery service can get your unpaid invoices to the top of their “to do” list and get your invoice paid.
Over the years we have collected billions in overdue invoices for our customers.
Our debt recovery and credit management services give our members the financial freedom needed to grow and prosper, while our new Late Payment Compensation department could unlock hidden potential and offer the compensation needed to springboard your business to success.
The Credit Protection Association – Prompting Punctual Payments – Ethical, Effective, Efficient, Economical collections
Ready to speak to an advisor?
For help or advice on credit management, entirely without obligation.
Call us today
0330 053 9263
CPA is passionate about late payment
The Credit Protection Association has been protecting smaller firms against poor payment practices for over 100 years.
We are extremely passionate about breaking the late payment culture that holds back the UK economy and threatens many SMEs with cash flow difficulties being the single biggest killer of Britain’s small businesses.
If you were regularly paid late we can help. Those former customers used you to boost their own cashflow, regularly paying you late.
As a result you had extra costs, you had the distraction of having to chase payment, you had opportunity costs because your capital was tied up in their late invoices.
Under little used legislation, you are entitled to compensation for those late payments.
Now you can boost your own cash-flow.
CPA can help unearth the those hidden treasures.
We have the technology to reveal the compensation you are due and we have the extensive experience and expertise to then turn those claims into cash.
Yes, CPA can help you boost your business cash-flow.
Don’t let your bankers control you, contact CPA today.
The Credit Protection Association – Prompting Punctual Payments – Ethical, Effective, Efficient, Economical collections
Do you realise you could be sitting on a fortune?
Late payments often result in a cash flow crunch and leave SMEs in need of a cash injection.
If you sold B2B on credit then there may be a hidden source of capital you can call on.
If you fancy an bit of extra cash in your business, rather than jumping through hoops with your bank, you could look to uncover the resources from an unexpected source within your own business.
Not many are aware but there could be a hidden fortune within your business, sitting there, just waiting to be uncovered and released.
We can help you uncover the pile of gold, you didn’t even know you were sitting on.
If you trade with other businesses and were often paid late then you could be entitled to significant compensation.
Under little known and under-utilised legislation your business could be due huge amounts in compensation that you didn’t even know about.
Let’s be clear – this is not a way to weaken any customer relationships you value. It is one that identifies who’s been paying late and then recover the potentially significant sums in compensation using Late Payment Legislation from businesses where the relationship has already ended.
You can pick and choose who you want us to follow up – but once we’ve agreed which companies you’d like to pursue compensation from it’s a fast process and there’s no financial outlay to you whatsoever. My team at CPA put its expertise to work to recover the compensation due and fight late payment culture.
That compensation could provide the cash boost your business needed.
But don’t delay, that compensation evaporates if not claimed within six years of the late payment.
How can CPA help?
CPA has developed a unique technology to dig into your accounting records and discover the cash injection you are due by means of compensation. The software does all the hard work. Our software interacts over the cloud with over 300 different software packages, working directly with your accounts package, just so long as it’s stored on a computer.
We recognise that most companies do not have the resources to spend time on the identification and calculation of Late Payment Compensation. Our service can produce an Analyses within just a few days with (usually) less than 30 mins of co-operation from our clients. We work directly with over 300 accounting packages but can also work with bespoke accounts packages. Indeed, speed is essential as the oldest invoices may fall foul of the 6-year time limit.
Once the Sales Ledger Analyses is made available to clients, all that is required is that management decide which commercially sensitive ex-customers to remove from the list and return it to us.
CPA then uses its years of collection experience to explain and recover the Late Payment Compensation Claims. Clients do not handle any part of the recovery process as our team will take all communications from the companies against who the claims has been made. Often, it’s simply a case of explaining the legislation, sometimes we have to go all the way and enforce the legislation through the courts.
The result is that we are realising clients’ claims worth tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of pounds which, of course, is pure net profit. You may also be among the recipients of “hundreds of thousands of pounds” should you elect to take advantage of our services.
We do the work, you receive the cash.
If you have supplied goods and services to businesses on credit and were regularly paid late then you could be due significant sums in late payment compensation.
We are talking to companies and unearthing claims in the hundreds of thousands from former business customers who paid them late. Large business customers who abused their power to inflict unfair and sometimes illegal payment practices.
We are helping business owners who are looking to boost the returns from their business before they retire. We are helping businesses who have lost major clients after years of loyal service to get properly compensated for systematic late payment. We are helping companies that were looking to close down, who looked insolvent and finding that cash injection they need to avoid insolvency.
Those former clients who regularly paid you late can finally be made to pay.
Ready to speak to an advisor?
For help or advice on credit management, entirely without obligation.
Call us today
0330 053 9263
The Credit Protection Association is a credit management company established in 1914. If you supply goods or services on credit then we can help you!
The Credit Protection Association – Prompting Punctual Payments – Ethical, Effective, Efficient, Economical collections
Keep up to date with the latest news by following us on social media:-
The Credit Protection Association – Prompting Punctual Payments – Ethical, Effective, Efficient, Economical collections