Business Link
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| Abbreviation | BL |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1993 |
| Legal status | Non-profit service |
| Purpose | Business support in England |
| Location |
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Region served
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England |
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Budget
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£105m (over 3 years) |
Business Link was a government-funded business advice and guidance service in England. It consisted of an online portal managed by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and a national telephone helpline.
The network of local/regional advisors (under the auspices of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) was axed in 2011. The online portal was replaced (along with Directgov) by the Gov.uk website on 17 October 2012, although the telephone helpline was retained.
This government programme is not to be confused with Business Link Magazine Group, a magazine publisher founded in 1988.
The concept for Business Link was established in December 1992 by Michael Heseltine, then President of the Board of Trade, when he was in charge of the Department of Trade and Industry and was initially referred to as "One Stop Shop".
At the time research for the Competitiveness Agenda led Government to believe small businesses were reluctant to invest in growth, that they failed to plan ahead and invest in training, that they were swamped with paperwork and relied on too few customers. These barriers to growth were the driving forces behind the need for a Business Link type solution.
The Enterprise Initiative ran from 1988 to 1994. This Government funded scheme was designed to encourage take of up external advice (consultancy) by small businesses. This initiative offered grant incentives for small businesses to use consultants. During this three-year period applications were received from 135,700 businesses. A Wren and Storey report concluded that £1,000 of grant assistance increased sales in a business by £30,000 and created a new job. An alternative study by Bennett and Robson estimated that take up of external advice trebled in small businesses with the incentive of grant provision. The Enterprise Initiative compounded support for intervention in the small business market place.
"I knew that there were very large numbers of small and medium sized enterprises out there who were running on the most rudimentary systems. If they had a problem, many of them didn't come from a background where they knew of anyone who could help or advise them. We wanted a team of people who could hold their hand, listen to their problems, have a working knowledge of what business is about, make suggestions, ask questions and be a friend in need." Heseltine
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