SMALL companies are being urged to come up with plans for growth after the economic downturn.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) have called on companies to look at future opportunities.
They issued the plea ahead of their joint business convention on Thursday in Edinburgh.
Andy Willox, Scottish policy convenor for the FSB, said that during the last few years, faced with tough trading conditions, some Scottish small businesses will have shelved their plans for business growth, expansion or innovation.
Speaking ahead of the third annual FSB-SCDI National Business Convention, he said: "We're encouraging those firms to seek out new opportunities and modernise their plans. Not every business will aspire to becoming a multinational, nor should they, but every business has the capacity to produce more, to be more efficient or to provide a better service.
"By learning from experts in their field, and by anticipating regulatory, economic and technological changes, we hope our event will give Scottish small businesses the best chance to thrive."
Finance Secretary John Swinney, who will attend the conference, said: "Organisations of all sizes, from the private, public and third sectors, have been forced to change in the face of unprecedented challenges in recent years."
Mr Swinney said competition for business was now more intense, but stressed there were still "opportunities for those with the determination and vision to succeed".
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