Entrepreneurs will feel more ambitious and confident following Boris Johnson’s decisive election victory, according to the founder of Enterprise Nation at the Biz Club on Friday 13 December.
Emma Jones MBE who founded the small business network, addressed attendees at the Biz Club’s annual Christmas lunch held at the Falcon Hotel in Uppingham where guest were joined by Rutland and Melton’s newly elected Conservative MP Alicia Kearns.
Emma predicted a positive outlook for the UK’s 5.9m small businesses. “Following the election, many entrepreneurs will feel more ambitious and confident about growing their business now that we have certainty back in our lives over Brexit and a Conservative majority. It is brilliant news and very welcome”.
Attendees heard how Emma launched her own business aged 27 after becoming bitten by the dot.com bug. In the year 2000, she left the accountancy firm she had joined following university to start an investment dotcom business called Techlocate which she sold successfully after 15 months to Tenon plc.
Emma said: “It was an interesting time to start a company because the media was full of positive stories, people were raising lots of money and starting businesses – it was a time of great innovation”.
Inspired by the entrepreneurial zeitgeist that had started in America, Emma decided to launch Enterprise Nation in 2006 as the home business website which has expanded to become a small business membership community of over 75,000 people who benefit from events and support, online and in person.
Emma said: I was inspired by a book called Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself, written by American author Dan Pink. It explored self-employment in America with people starting their own businesses. I thought the same thing is going to happen in this country. I could feel that British people were starting to get more entrepreneurial and looking at self-employment as an option”.
Emma ended her speech with a call to the Government to deliver consistency for small businesses. “We look to the Government for stable interest rates, a strong pound, good infrastructure, including road and rail, a decent broadband system, a tax system that’s fit for purpose for today’s modern business owners and fair business rates. My view of the world is a very positive one, even more positive after the election, with an opportunity to build a truly enterprising nation”.
Alicia Kearns, MP for Rutland and Melton, concluded the event by telling attendees that she wanted to help SMEs. “I want to be there for you in your successes and in the tough times, but I need to hear from you, learn from you, listen to you and take forward in Parliament the issues I hear locally. My door will always be open”.
Biz Club President Geoffrey Pointon said: “Emma is a true entrepreneur with her efforts to help, support and inspire SMEs. Her wonderful ideas and achievements are so extensive, including her involvement in the launch of the national enterprise campaign, StartUp Britain. As fellow business travellers at the Biz Club we salute her energy and innovation. The future is certainly looking bright”
