Positive new research reveals that businesses are feeling optimistic about their prospects once again. The Telegraph used its Business Tracker to analyse the tweets from 25,000 business people and firms during a 30-day period in February and March. Using software to analyse 40,000 tweets, Impact Social compiled the tracker findings to reveal that small companies had a strongly buoyant mood, with just four per cent being negative in nature.
When the 75 per cent of neutral messages were removed from the analysis – those containing facts, offers or non-sentiment – 84 per cent of the small business chat during the period was optimistic in nature.
The Telegraph carries out its business tracker regularly, with every tracker compiled this year found to be positive. The latest set was boosted by International Women’s Day, which saw a 1,140 per cent increase in tweets that celebrated or supported women in business.
Small firms are embracing flexible working and cultures that encourage female talent to thrive, with part-time director positions and flexible working hours something that SMEs can offer with ease. 17 per cent of tweets also said they felt positive about the new government policies in this area. One area getting particular praise was the £80m put aside by the government to assist new businesses to hire apprentices. Philip Hammond’s commitment to remove late payment problems that continue to hound small businesses, according to the FSB, was also well received.
Small businesses still have fears, however. Ongoing uncertainty around Brexit remains the number one concern, with 36 per cent of negative tweets referencing the issue. Other grumbles related to business rates, with 21 per cent saying that the system needed to be reformed. The majority of these came from restaurants, which are particularly impacted by rising rates; in fact, a number of big-name restaurant chains were forced to close sites because of their jump in costs.
Investing for growth
At Century Business Finance we have seen a healthy increase in the number of business loan applications from SME businesses that are keen to invest in their business plans for growth and success. All businesses need to invest in their strategies and operations; however, many simply do not have large cash reserves and are keen to maintain a healthy cash cushion within the business to help manage risk.
Century Business Finance has an excellent reputation for offering competitive business loans to customers who need them; in fact, we accept nine out of ten loan applications from businesses and offer sums of £25k to £500k for unsecured loans and £20k to £1m for secured loans. Our interest rates start at just 4.8 per cent and our terms are between six months and five years. You can even repay your loan early without any early repayment fees, as we don’t apply fees or charges.
An easy process
Our business customers tell us they love our simple online form, which only takes a few minutes to complete. We don’t ask for meetings or require you to dig out forms and paperwork; instead, we use the details you provide online to make an immediate lending decision. The funds can be in your bank account the following day, meaning you can move ahead without any delay. Call our helpful lending team to find out more or apply online now!
