The Small Firms Association has launched a campaign demanding a Small Business Strategy from government.

The SFA wants the government to take on board eight key considerations and get on with designing a strategy for small firms. 

• The strategy should be a common vision with whole-of-government buy-in.
• Public awareness and acceptance are important.
• It should support all small business – there is no ‘right’ sector to be in.
• It should provide coherence – all policies and schemes to be aligned, no mismatches between rhetoric and practice.
• A business-friendly approach to be instilled in public officials across the apparatus of the state.
• Strands: tax, cost of doing business, regulatory burden, accessibility and suitability of business supports, enhancing spillovers from multinationals to indigenous firms.
• A new approach to communicating with small businesses.
• All other decisions affecting small business should be informed by the strategy.

SFA chairperson Sue O’Neill told the delegates at the SFA annual conferences “Our role in job creation creation cannot be underestimated, and even modest improvements in the small business environment could have a significant multiplier effect.

“If our government ramps up support for small business, think of what this could mean for employment, economic growth, Exchequer tax take and especially for regional development and the vibrancy of local communities. Our calculations show that small businesses could add over 110,000 jobs in the next four years and this is a conservative estimate. Get this right and the sky is the limit."

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O'Neill added: “There are many state supports for small firms but from an owner-manager’s perspective they are fragmented, confusing and inconsistent. There are many individual success stories but also many tales of struggling businesses. One thing is certain: the potential of the sector has not been realised. That is why the focus should now be on creating a leap forward for small businesses.”

Director Sven Spollen-Behrens told delegates that attracting talent is now the top challenge identified by SFA members. "Even in a growing economy, less than half of owner-managers tell us their businesses are growing. That is why the government’s focus should now be on creating a leap forward in the conditions for small businesses," he added.

Photo: Sue O'Neill with Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin. (Pix: Jason Clarke)