2012 will be the year the economy either fires up, or falls flat. Will businesses create the jobs to replace those being lost in the public sector? Will we see a reversal of the trend that has seen household-name brands disappear forever?
To find out, we’ve invited businessmen and women from across the country to join the ITV News Business Club. Together, our members will tell us what’s really going on throughout 2012, away from the soundbites and the political spin. They’ll tell us if the government’s doing enough to help companies get the economy moving. They’ll be honest about what it’s like to run a business in these challenging times. Today I spent an hour or so hearing what the obstacles and opportunities are. Tomorrow on the ITV News at 6.30 and 10 you’ll hear straight from them what it is like running a business in the 2012. The ITV National News has 12 panel members, and there is a bit about them below. Around the country our colleagues in Scotland, Wales and the ITV regions have created Business Clubs of their own, so nationally, we are tracking what is actually going on at around 100 firms.
Here’s a bit about our members:
Chris Sullivan – Chief Executive, UK Corporate Banking, Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is the UK’s largest publicly-owned bank. The UK Treasury holds an 84% stake. Chris Sullivan is responsible for the largest amount of business lending to small and medium-sized businesses in the whole country.
Jamal Edwards, Founder, SB.TV
At 21 Jamal has already interviewed the Prime Minister, not to mention hundreds of famous musicians, fronted a TV ad and starred in his own TV show. He’s also the founder and CEO of SB.TV, an online music channel that’s impressed even Simon Cowell. He now has 10 employees specialising in web-based viral content from music events.
Born and raised on a London estate, Jamal urges young people facing unemployment to ‘forget the barriers’ and make opportunities for themselves.
Kavita Oberoi – Founder and Managing Director, Oberoi Consulting
Kavita Oberoi is an entrepreneur with a multi-million pound IT business. A self-made millionaire, she knows what it’s like to be starting out looking for funding and growing a business. Now she is a wealthy investor as well as a Managing Director.
“The rigmarole of banks to get funding is unreal. And the government is absolutely not doing enough to help.”
Tim Martin – Chairman, JD Wetherspoon
Tim is the outspoken boss of the popular Wetherspoons chain, which has been doing well during the downturn as its customers seek value for money. Earlier this year he launched a ‘Veto Ale’ to celebrate the PM’s historic EU veto. He opened his first pub in 1979 and there are now over 800 outlets in the UK.
Richard Ward – CEO, Lloyd’s of London
Richard joined Lloyd’s as Chief Executive Officer in April 2006. Lloyd’s is the world’s leading insurance market providing specialist insurance services to businesses in over 200 countries.
Keith Anderson - Chief Corporate Officer, Scottish Power
Based in Glasgow, Scottish Power is one of the largest electricity companies in Europe and the world’s top renewable energy operator. Last June they were the first of the energy companies to announce a price hike in both their gas and electricity services from August 2011. British Gas, SSE, Eon and Npower followed suit after.
Michelle ‘Clippy’ McKenna – Founder, Clippy’s Apples
Clippy and her husband started their own business in 2008 during the last recession. Using apples from her own back garden in Cheshire, Clippy started to develop a range of British-apple based conserves, jellies, chutneys and relishes. Their range is now sold nationally in stores such as Asda. Despite having a healthy business that is forecast to grow this year, she says it’s not easy.
“It is so frustrating. We are one of those SMEs [small and medium enterprises] that the government says are the route to growth, yet, despite being a proven concept with national accounts, the banks aren’t lending to us. We are still not paying ourselves a wage… we can’t afford to employ people. It’s a chicken and egg scenario.”
Andy Clarke – CEO/President, Asda
From stacking shelves as a teenager, Andy has become the boss of the UK’s second largest supermarket chain based in Leeds. Self-styled as Britain’s Lowest Priced Supermarket, Asda prioritises price driven promotions.
Miles Bullough – Head of TV services, Aardman
Aardman is the celebrated home of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun The Sheep . Miles has been in the TV business for 25 years, helping to identify suitable projects, finance them, oversee production and sell them around the world. The UK animation scene has been dealt a blow with the possible threat of Aardman animations future TV series being developed overseas.
“We won’t move Wallace and Gromit or Shaun the Sheep anywhere – but when we look at new shows, without government support its very hard to see how we can raise enough money to produce them in the UK or make money from them if we do manage to cover the budgets.”
Ian Tyler – Chief Executive, Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty is the 15th largest construction company in the world. Ian became its Chief Executive in 2005.
Balfour is currently working on projects including the Liverpool Street Crossrail station, M25 motorway widening, Blackfriars station and bridge construction works.
Margaret Wood MBE – Managing Director, ICW UK Ltd
ICW is an award-winning designer and manufacturer of aluminium windows.
Margaret started up her business 19 years ago. She has 5 employees and is really concerned about the lack of investment in British manufacturing. She competes directly with Chinese companies.
Tags: itv news business club
AS A SMALL BUISNESS ,I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO JOINING THE ITV BUISNESS CLUB . I HAVE LEASED A SMALL 8 HOLE GOLF COARSE ,STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE BANKS WONT GIVE US AN OVERDRAFT FACILITY AT ALL LAST YEAR THEY TOOK 600 OUT OF MY AC FOR SMALL OVERDRAFT .
I just saw these CEO’s on the 10pm news say UK graduates are not skilled enough and I would just like to show my experience; I have an accounting (2:1) degree and a banking & finance (1st) masters. I have only been unemployed for a month but i have been looking for a graduate job since my second year at university, applied to over 100 graduate schemes, and the only employment i have had is in a small business and not a graduate scheme.
In one instance, I applied at around 8pm and received a rejecting e-mail at 7:30am the next day; clearly no person has looked at my application and a computer is deciding. (One of the CEOs on the business team runs this company strangely enough) Most of my friends are in similar situations. Therefore, I would just like to point out the jobs either are not there or the HR team of these big companies are failing UK graduates.
I wish some of the big businesses would not feel that a small business is fair game to clobber with high charges.
eg: I run a small business from home and have a private phone line and a business one. BT charge me much more for the business line even though I receive no difference in service. Likewise, I have just received my po box renewal from Royal Mail and the charge has gone up 80% on last year!
Bank charges ME if a customers cheque bounces! Why are these not put back on the person who wrote the cheque?
It’s very frustrating.
As a small business owner I was really looking forward to listening to what the ITV Busines Club had to say. Whilst I do agree with what was said I think the best thing for small businesses is not money its guidance and help, something the government don’t seem capable of providing.
In order to find out what help small businesses need they need to talk to us. A group of government officials sitting around a desk deciding what we need is a waste of time and money!
I wish they would talk to us and not at us! I know I have concentrated on the small business angle, but that is where I am comming from and is all I know. I really would like to see more help for small businesses.
Hi,
Just watched the Club and while sound bites like picking up the ball and running with it or maddona makeover sound good. Not one person said how we do what they suggested. Just like MPs really.
Dear Laura,
unfortunately, your panel actually reflects what is wrong with the UK today. The majority of your panellists appear to be focused on the UK’s internal market.
Our internal (service) market has flourished over recent years; funding by debit and imaginary equity.
We really need to understand that the ONLY way out of our economic crisis is to sell our way out – and that means exporting.
I would be much more encouraged if your panellists were talking about export markets, and how to sell into them.
This is the real challenge.
Regards
Ashley Evans
Chief Executive
Electronics Technology Network
Do we really need spam from the likes of Phillip King, above.
The Business Club has the opportunity to shed some light on where the government’s “Plan A” is faltering but I do hope it is not reduced to a vehicle to lobby against employment regulation. Regulation, after all, is only necessary to curb businesses excesses; they’ll (metaphorically) be sending children up chimneys again given the chance.
The ITV Business Club sounds like a great idea, it will inspire more people to start a new business and highlight issues businesses face on a daily basis to government.
Really excited about it, Magic Whiteboard is a small business and we are growing by exporting,by innovating and by developing new products.
Really looking forward to this series.
i am a struggling business owner, i have had no help with finance from the bank, things became so desperate that i considered going to a loan shark in order to get finance. i looked on various websites, and i was shock by the number of requests from other people who are actively looking for loan sharks or private investors who are not regulated.
I of course didn’t go through with the loan but was desperate enough to even consider it.
The governments enterprise finance guarantee scheme inst been used by the banks enough, as i tried to apply, some didn’t know hat i was talking about
small business owners need a lot more help in setting up
As a small business owner, I must say that I am very surprised at the number of companies that say how things are difficult for their company but do look at reducing their costs but moan that people/companies as them to reduce their prices. Why don’t companies start start looking at using local suppliers or just at everything they purchase so their can lower their cost base?
Laura
I presume you will include coverage of the importance of cash-flow under the ‘running a business’ theme so can I refer you to the Institutes of Credit Management’s Managing Cashflow Guides available at http://www.creditmanagement.org.uk.
I wrote these a couple of years ago for BIS and downloads now stand at over 270,000. Also happy to share our expertise on anything to do with cash-flow or credit management if it would be helpful.
Regards
Philip King
Chief Executive
As a small business owner, I am certainly looking forward to the ITV News Business Club. I hope that some positive stories will emerge giving hope to those brave business owners who are working their socks off. Lots of businesses are struggling, but it pays to listen and learn from each other. Collaboration will be businesses’ best hope in 2012.