Start Up Britain - Big Society with Big Business Benefits?

The Press has been awash with the Government-backed StartUpBritain campaign this week - an initiative involving a handful of the usual 'suspects' offering vouchers and advice to potential 'entrepreneurs'.

It has amazed me just how mis-lead some of our so called business 'leaders' can be; there is only one way to create a sustainable culture of entrepreneurial growth in the UK and that involves a well-funded real connection with the audience from the bottom up, not another example of top-down 'idea a day' approaches to a serious issue.

If you're serious about finding a solution to an existing problem, then you really need to make sure you are affecting the root of the problem with the implemented strategy. In this case, you don't have to be a banker or a qualified economist to realise that there are next to no funds for Government to help anywhere in this problematic equation - hence the whole Big Society approach - passing not just responsibility back to us, but often the cost also.

So, to the root of this problem - you cannot sustain growth in new business start ups without a substantial budget to invest in real money. A small bit of cash and/or a handful of vouchers to be redeemed with participating orgs is not what i'm talking about; this is pass the buck territory again and it should be pointed out that some participating companies may have more than philanthropic thoughts in their heads when they sign up to participate - after all, what great brand awareness and access to potential new customers. I know, too cynical? Well some would say not cynical enough at a time when a stronger Government approach to Banking profits and tax evasion from big business would actually provide the necessary funding from the state to deliver a financially sustainable 'difference' to the vast majority of UK Tax payers. I'd like to see Top Shop, for example, relocate itself away from the profits of our UK High Streets in protest - do you think that would happen?

Without necessary investment from the Banks in the UK, start ups will continue to suffer from high % 1st and 2nd year business failure rates.

It's like trying to solve a famine with a fist full of food vouchers and promises; sometimes you need to get back to basics, this time the basic required ingredient is long term Banking support and assistance. Without this financial support, all the offers of mentoring and free website vouchers just make StartupBritain feel like the old BusinessLinks rebranded and represented with some new mates and freebies.