Here are a few reminders and some stories of inspiration:

• Fitzbillies, a popular cake shop in Cambridge, was facing closure. With a little bit of enthusiasm, dedication and a well written, tight-knit business plan, Fitzbillies is thriving once more.

• Microsoft Corporation was founded during the United States recession of 1973-1975 by Harvard University dropout Bill Gates, and we all know how far Microsoft has come now!

• Popular auction site Mad-Bid.com was founded at the very start of the recession back in 2008. It has now achieved a turnover of £15 million within three years.

• Let’s not forget the winner of our Small Business of the Year 2010, SweetBar Ltd. Still going strong with the brilliant idea of catering sweets and savoury snacks to weddings and other events, they really do raise the (sweet) bar when it comes to offering something different on that special occasion.

It’s hard not to become weighed down with the dire news we hear. However the key is to stay focused: don’t lose sight of the direction your company is moving in, don’t forget to plan for all eventualities and don’t forget to stay positive. With a little perseverance, excellent planning and free PR through a bit of social media, who knows? Maybe your company can become the next big thing to come out of a recession.

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82% of managers view contingency planning as important but fewer than half of businesses (49%) are prepared for an unexpected threat. On the other hand 84% of businesses that had to fall back on their contingency plans found that business disruption was reduced and they recovered faster.

The research conducted by the Institute of Consulting and Chartered Management Institute (CMI) demonstrates how many UK businesses are leaving themselves vulnerable to unexpected events. Don’t be caught unaware – know who is responsible for particular aspects of the business, have an effective communication plan and make sure that company processes run smoothly in the possibility of an event which can damage your business – operationally and physically.

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On Tuesday, Beth and I joined the hundreds of Londoners taking to the streets in a heroic attempt to clean up the mess caused by rioters and looters the night before. We worked our way from Hackney to Clapham Junction providing as much help to the community as we could along the way.

Starting off in Hackney, we walked through the streets of what could have been a war zone – as you have probably seen by the media coverage – with burnt out cars, shop windows shattered and huddles of locals mourning the devastation brought into their community. Council workers removed the cars and everyone got to work at clearing the street from the ash and debris that was left.

After this was done we had a vigil in Hackney as a sign of respect. The clean-up group formed a circle holding hands and a few words were said by the locals of Hackney expressing their joy and thanks that people from all across London had come to help them when they needed it most.

We then moved on to Clapham Junction with a couple of friends we made along the way. With brooms in hand, Beth led our cleaning army to the front lines of the mass of people that had formed to aid in the clearing up of Clapham Junction.

We got to work sweeping the street from shards of glass and items from the shops. We specifically helped clean up a small local clothes store and the local Specsavers. Going into every other shop along the way offering a helping hand in any way we could.

The clean-up operation was invaluable – a positive twist on an otherwise dispiriting week and an opportunity for the city as a whole to come together and redeem its sense of community and hope. So grab your brooms, pull on your gardening gloves and get out there and join us Riot Wombles clean up the capital.

To view more pictures of Beth and Mark at the clean-up, you can visit our
Facebook page.

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Our Affiliate Marketing Made Simple page outlines the various affiliate opportunities currently available, including:

• White Label Company Formation
• Sole Trader vs. Limited Company “widget”
• Affiliate Links

Over the coming weeks we’ll go into much more detail in regards to these fantastic opportunities, but for the time being, why not become accustomed with the site?

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The scheme will be piloted in Merseyside, with the hope of being offered nationwide by autumn 2011. Recipients will receive their usual benefits for the first three months followed by a reduced amount for the next three months so that they can support themselves while they launch their businesses. There will also be access to start-up loans of £1,000 to help with expenses.

The government has recognised that small and startup businesses are crucial for rebuilding our economy, and this scheme is therefore a great step in the right direction.

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The British Bankers’ Association have also confirmed around 570,000 companies set up bank accounts last year, the highest figure of the previous three years.

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2: Over-optimism
Most business plans are over-optimistic, especially with regards to predicted sales – often massively overestimating the size of the market. Research your market thoroughly. Too many business plans include a SWOT analysis, but concentrate on the strengths and opportunities and ignore the threats and weaknesses.

3: Ignoring the competition
Business plans commonly assume that the competition will make no competitive response or indeed, will have no new initiatives of their own. Study your competitors and try to second-guess their plans. A living document will take into account their actions.

4: New or old?
Too many business plans depend on doing something new, when what is needed is to find a better way of doing what is being done now.

5: Ignoring risk
What are the risks attached to the plan? Think through these and the costs of failure as well as the rewards of success.

6: Profit or turnover?
Remember the old adage: turnover is vanity, but profit is sanity. If expansion is planned, it should result in increased profits, not just sales. Expansion requires finance, people and other resources. Do you have adequate resources?

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Many customers complain about the fact that if you go to any high street in the UK, the range of shops available will be almost identical. However, not anymore if the findings from a recent survey, from the ONS is to be believed.

According to the report, independent retailers are popping up in high streets all across the UK, in spaces previously occupied by more traditional high street chains. The findings of the report revealed that the number of independently run businesses increased by almost six per cent in 2009.

Richard Kitchen, founder of the ‘Forum of Independent Companies’, comments: “The high street has been a major casualty of the economic downturn. However, its decline has provided more room for the independent retailer to establish their business with minimum expenditure. This is extremely encouraging for those considering company formation.”

John Joyce, managing director of commercial leasing agents ‘JJ Lettings’, comments: “Small businesses have always been the backbone of our economy. The consumer is sick of going shopping only to be facing with a homogenous high street – why bother to go out shopping when it is boring and you can get the same stuff online. We have noticed a sharp increase in the number of independent and family run businesses taking out a lease on commercial property and – in my opinion – it can only mean good things for the UK’s economy.”

Almost a third of all people who have been made redundant, feel that that the process was handled incorrectly, say the CIPD. In some of the cases employees reported being told that they should leave the same day, while others reported that their redundancy settlements were insufficient.

Claire Thomas, who was made redundant six months ago, comments on her experience; “ Most employees probably fail to understand the huge implications being made redundant has on that employee; you go through feeling humiliated and then it begins having an impact on your personal confidence, While I accept that being made redundant was a consequence of the recession for many people including business owners of recent company formation owner, I don’t think there is enough support available for those people who have been made redundant to get them back into the work place.”

Matthew Harrison, founder and CEO of Staff Seekers, comments: ‘Historically, redundancies were kept very private within an organization and in many cases the employee was asked to sign a confidentiality agreement as part of their settlement. However, now as the ‘credit-crunch’ and redundancy occupied the front pages of most newspapers each day over the past year, redundancy has become news. Subsequently employers who have handled the process incorrectly will be identified and in some cases punished.”

The report found that over seventy per cent of small business owners think that their company will grow in 2010. While over ninety per cent comment that they plan to recruit at least one new staff member over the next three months.
Findings of the report also revealed that most small business owners have made a substantial personal financial commitment throughout the recession instead of relying on banks.

Thomas Cox, director of finance and enterprise at Santander, comments: ‘The findings of this report showed that things are definitely getting better for the SME sector. It also indicated that many small company owners have looked for different ways of improving their business. Indeed from diversifying their product or services to changing their marketing platforms, it seems that innovation is key to surviving any economic downturn.”