Well what to say today??....

Well actually it is a build up that has been brewing inside me and now ready to blow...it is the subject of so called Goverment assistance agenies or "QUANGOES!!"
I have been involved in setting up and running several small businesses for myself, these spread over the past two decades and covering things from sandwich shop in Edinburgh to ski chalet holiday business in Chamonix. I'll try anything..
At some stage during the start up of these (as well as this current business) I have of course been given stalwart advice to get help from Scottish Enterprise, all be it mainly from folks who have never thought about and have no experience of doing such a thing.
A wee taster of my experience with Scottish Enterprise, Business Gateway, Quango, Fandago...it's a merry dance. The music begins when you contact their "new business hot help line" (wow this has got to be good) actually its only any good if you are able to call this call centre facillity between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday!? Once you do get through you are asked to fill in the on line application form geared up to the lowest common denominator, so after some time sloshing about on the ocean floor with a primary school questionair the eventual outcome is the loss of any will to live...or at least the loss of any will to try and get any assistance from the very organisations supposedly set up to asssit someone starting a new business. After all, it is only what they are set up to do.
Eventually I give up on filling in the form and try again to speak with someone, yes I know, to actually speak with someone, maybe like a small business adviser. 4 weeks later and having had the wrong person contact me on 3 seperate occassions I elect to do as I have done on the 3 previous small business set ups....JUST DO IT MY BLOODY SELF!!!
Mark my words, it is time some whistle blowers staggered forward from within these bodies to let us all know where the very large budget goes..(tax payers money?)..I have an inkling (don't ask me why?) that in place of assisting folks set up a new business it mainly goes on fancy offices, company cars, salaries and consultant fees? More fat cats eating more than thier fair share of whiskas. When the lid is taken of this particualrly large tin of whiskas I do very much feel certain it will be chicken liver flavour exactly the same flavour as the banks have been eating for the past 15 years or so....mmmmm...very tasty....if you can get it.

Now I say if you have similar experince with such bodies please let us hear, maybe let your MP hear, all we are asking for is a bit of help... But no, they actually offer absolutely nothing and then also set up other Public Sector Quangoes who lassoo us with red tape on every possible issue..from VAT, employemnt law, tax and food higyne to insurance and getting a drinks license....Oh yes, you have to be and expert on all possible eventualities, no matter if you employ 1 person or 1000, its the bleedin same mentality...

Right, you can get back to that cool web site you were looking at before you stumbled onto this BLOGGER!

BON CHANCE AMIGO
Mine Host