The Push for Growth  11 May 2012

The election of Francois Hollande as President of France signalled a shift to growth policy across Europe.

Following the news of a double-dip recession in the UK, and the unpopularity of austerity measures in the Eurozone, pro-austerity politicians have suffered losses in elections. There has been a rise of support for politicians with an agenda to promote growth.

European Push for Growth

In France, Francois Hollande defeated Nicolas Sarkozy to become President of France, promising that austerity was no longer inevitable. Pro-austerity politicians have lost power in Greece, and the parties are attempting to form a coalition, but it appears the austerity measures already agreed may not be followed through.

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany has insisted that existing agreements made by Greece of austerity in exchange for bailouts must be stuck to, and the fiscal pact for austerity already agreed among Europe’s leaders cannot be renegotiated. Germany has signalled, however, some willingness to be flexible and to have a cautious sustainable growth policy.

The key point for Germany is that growth should not be financed by debt, which would lead to short term unsustainable growth. This is echoed by European politicians.

European Proposals for Growth include:

• A Debt-neutral “Marshall Plan” of repaying €180 billion of European public debt owed to the private sector.
• European Central Bank President Mario Draghi is now calling for a "growth pact" not unlike the "fiscal pact" demanded by Angela Merkel's government in Germany.
• European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso says that Europe “needs targeted investments on a EU scale”.

UK Push for Growth

Business leaders looked for growth plans in the Queen's Speech.

In the UK, the Conservatives suffered losses at the local council elections, leading the government to promise to focus on the economy and not be sidetracked. The Queen’s Speech, outlining the government’s programme of legislation for the year ahead, was criticised by business leaders for lacking proposals for growth

Business surveys continue to show that UK companies remain optimistic, despite the double-dip recession.

The UK is ‘at a turning point’ and ‘on the brink of a lasting recovery’ according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Targeted Growth

A common theme is that certain areas should be targeted for growth. These include measures aimed at helping the struggling southern countries of Europe and investing in infrastructure projects.

In the UK, the Chancellor George Osborne has identified 10,000 mid-sized British companies which are the ‘real engine of growth’, and is seeking to target and professionalize these.

Growth Strategies

SiteSphere offers growth opportunites for Suppliers.

The Telegraph has focused on 1000 of these companies, and reports on strategies these companies have used to be successful even through the downturn:

• Continuing to Invest even through the recession
• Investing in Training
• Family business ownership
• Keeping close to suppliers
• Innovation
• Creating overseas franchises
• Being patient with expansion
• Thriving rather than surviving

Bizzy’s sister company SiteSphere offers suppliers a way of increasing sales by gaining access to corporate buyers using a system called PunchOut.

Lean Startup

Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup.

When business finance is hard to come by, there is a question of how small firms are to grow. A popular strategy for small businesses to grow without the need for venture capital is described by Eric Ries in his book “The Lean Startup”.

One of the main concerns of small businesses trying to grow is the need to be paid on time. Bizzy.co.uk can help with this by showing which companies are wealthy, profitable and creditworthy and are likely to make good customers.

How Bizzy Helps with Growth

Bizzy.co.uk provides the information you need in order to promote your company’s growth strategy, by identifying companies that are likely to be good customers and good investments. A bizzy RATE badge on your website can also mark you out as a company that can be relied upon to honour financial commitments.

Financial Information

bizzy.co.uk helps you to seek out business growth opportunities.

Financial information can show how wealthy and profitable, or otherwise, a company is. It can help identify which companies are a sound investment or likely to be good customers. Bizzy offers:

• A full range of financial documents from Companies House, UK, as well as from many other European countries.
• Unlimited access to documents filed at Companies House.
• Financial documents for 50 million European companies.
• Charts showing Net Worth, Cash at Bank, Current Assets & Current Liabilities on active UK companies.
• Turnover and Profit figures on active UK companies for the last 5 years.

Creditworthiness Information

The bizzy RATE badge shows you are creditworthy.

Creditworthiness information can show which companies are likely to be good at paying their suppliers and repaying business loans. Bizzy offers:

• Credit ratings on all active UK companies, updated constantly.
• Access to credit reports on every company in the UK, as well as many across Europe: Comprehensive credit reports on 17 European countries! Instant download.
• Risk tracker - monitor companies of interest- receive email alerts of any changes.
• See credit limits plus CCJs and mortgage summaries.
• Bizzy RATE Customer confidence badge to display your company credit rating on your website.

All this in a bizzy PLUS subscription for just £19.99 a year plus VAT.

Bizzy.co.uk can be part of your sustainable growth strategy, as at this price you should hardly have to increase your company’s indebtedness in order to be ‘in the know’ financially’!

To see the improved features and pricing of bizzy PLUS click here.

To sign up for a bizzy PLUS subscription, go to the sign up page here.

Let bizzy.co.uk be a part of your company’s strategy for growth.

Bizzy.co.uk – helping your business to grow!

Posted in bizzy blog on 11 May 2012.