I have never understood the antipathy and dislike that otherwise rational people have for lifestyle business.

The heart of the issue is this question: what constitutes business success? I guess for some it’s size; others  have other measures. In an age of growing awareness of carbon footprint, in a time when the fastest growing businesses are social enterprises, at a point in the economic cycle when we need to drive entrepreneurs to help solve social issues we need all types of businesses and a virtually all will start in small way and be dictated in shape and plan by the creator.

Business should not be measured by the number of people it employs. Over and over I hear people talk about the size of their organisations. All I hear is the cost of their payroll. Is this just a man thing? Are we really comparing size still as adults? Get over it. In business size doesn’t matter; it’s what it brings to your life.

Reflect on the initial question: what do people have against lifestyle businesses? A lifestyle business is simply one where the owner seeks to make the business successful not only in terms of profitability but also in terms of its ability to make his or her life more successful. It is this intentional inclusion of other measures of success that also define a social enterprise. It is exactly this awareness of the impact on the environment that defines the green enterprise.

I believe that people should build businesses around their passions and around their lives. I believe that some businesses deserve to grow to fully express themselves or contribute to society. But other businesses should remain small and focussed.

I know many people who these days don’t work to create a mammoth business but do work to create lifestyle; me too.

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The government has signalled its intention to intensify the assessment of incapacity benefit and encourage those who are fit for work back into employment.

George Osborne said it was important to protect those with “genuine needs”, while cutting the welfare bill in order to reduce the budget deficit.

Last year £12.5 billion was spent on incapacity benefit and the employment and support allowance (ESA), which replaced incapacity benefit for people with long-term health problems.

Some 2.6 million people claim one of these incapacity benefits, and 10,000 of these claimants are currently being assessed each week for their ability to carry out some kind of work.

The country’s total welfare bill has nearly doubled to £192 billion since 1997, and last week’s emergency budget outlined spending cuts of up to 25 per cent in most Whitehall departments.

Ministers are evaluating potential cost-saving measures before October’s spending review, and the chancellor indicated further welfare savings could be part of a “trade-off” to cushion cuts in other public services and protect benefits for the elderly. Osborne said: “It’s a choice we all face. It’s not a choice that can be ducked. Of course we have to look across the piece at the welfare bill and of course we have got to look at individual benefits.” “That is what I want to be part of the spending review over the summer. It is a trade-off and some of these benefits are very much larger than most government departments,” he continued. “We have got to look at all these things, make sure it protects those in genuine need, protects those with disabilities and protects those who can’t work but also encourages those who can work into work. That is the purpose behind our welfare reform.”

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What types of franchises traditionally are more solid during a recession?

Let’s face it, the mere word “recession” strikes fear into many people, because it implies hardship, job loss, and therefore, loss of income. So, in times of recession, those without jobs, but with the economic means, will seek to replace routine employment with self-employment. This is a common scenario found in each and every economic downturn.

Now franchise consultants, at least those with true knowledge of the industry, will normally always advise in favor of purchasing a franchise opportunity that best fits the buyer, but what if funds are not available; what if that perfect business is in recession’?

Logic dictates that ‘you do what you have to do’, and often that means buying the ‘best buinesss you can afford; that isn’t in a recession and is available’.

Sorry to be so blunt about it, but many entrepreneurs have been born out of hardship and the trouble with most advisers is that most are not in business themselves. What’s the point of going to a bank manager who has a job and asking about a business – he doesn’t know because he has a job! Bit getting financial advice from someone with no money; mind you some people do that too.

The bottom line is this: if a ‘quality’ franchise investment represents a means to create a new found lifestyle, then the option is positive. Those who want that solidity go here.

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“The regional Business Links have spent too much time signposting and not enough time actually advising,” the MP told Real Business. “We’re going to wind down the Regional Development Agencies, and as part of those, we’ll be winding down the regional Business Link contracts.”

Prisk said the service, which operates throughout England, will be replaced by a state-funded online platform plus greater use of the private sector. As well as being available via desktops, the new internet offering will be accessible on mobile phones and supported by a call centre.

Business Link’s closure is part of the government’s decision, announced in the Emergency Budget, to abolish England’s nine Regional Development Agencies and replace them with Local Enterprise Partnerships between local authorities, chambers of commerce and private companies. The change is due to be completed by March 2012.

Last week, an analysis of 46 government websites revealed that the current Business Link national site is the most expensive at an annual cost of £35m or £2.15 per user. Ministers say they plan to close down up to 75% of more than 800 publicly funded websites and force those that remain to reduce costs by half.

UPDATE (30/06/10 12:10):

The regional Business Links have started to react to the news. In an interview with the Express & Star, a Midlands local newspaper, Lorraine Holmes, chief executive of Business Link West Midlands, said: “It is disappointing that Mr Prisk is choosing to make policy in the media without due consideration to the consequences for our employees and the future of the service. It is also disappointing that no consultation has yet taken place. Staff are committed to continuing to provide a high level of service to our customers, despite the uncertainty.”

What do you think of the decision to close Business Link? What should the replacement service look like? Post your thoughts below.

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