ECONOMIC times remain tough, whatever picture Chancellor George Osborne might have painted in his Autumn Statement this week.
After listening to the Chancellor’s latest proclamations about slashing public spending, and in particular welfare provision, many thousands of people in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK were probably in need of a pick-me-up. Such a tonic was provided on Wednesday night, just a few hours after Mr Osborne delivered his particular viewpoint on the economy, at the Entrepreneurial Scotland annual dinner in Glasgow.
While some noted they were operating in tough conditions in the economy and their particular markets, politics was very much off the agenda at the awards event. Rather, the event was all about helping each other in the drive to create great Scottish businesses as well as the inspirational leaders of today and tomorrow.
And the event, while celebrating the success of private businesses, also noted the innovation of those in the public sector, whether it be in universities or the National Health Service or wherever.
Professor Sir Jim McDonald, principal of Strathclyde University, was presented with an outstanding contribution award for his innovative achievements by Entrepreneurial Scotland chairman Chris van der Kuyl.
Mr Osborne’s Autumn Statement appeared to lack significant measures likely to boost the belated, unbalanced and slowing economic recovery.
There was some delaying of the hugely unpopular, and swingeing, cuts in tax credits for those on low incomes. However, the Chancellor reiterated his determination to cut overall annual welfare spending by a further £12 billion in any case. These cuts will surely, as previous reductions have done, suck demand straight out of the economy as those who have to spend all they have to live see their low incomes reduced even further.
Meanwhile, Mr Osborne imposed what is being perceived in some quarters as a fairly significant burden on business, the apprentice levy.
The Conservative Government’s idea of what constitutes an apprenticeship often appears to be a far cry from the views of most people.
There are still good apprenticeships to be had in the likes of the engineering sector, and in various trades. However, having listened to the anti-welfare rhetoric from Prime Minister David Cameron, you could be forgiven for thinking “apprenticeships” were being seized upon these days not as a carrot to encourage future success but as a stick to get those who are claiming unemployment benefits into low-paid work with poor prospects.
Scottish entrepreneur Lord Willie Haughey has taken issue with some of the activities to which “apprenticeship” might be applied, such as, in his words, “how to pour a pint correctly”.
The idea of learning something valuable from others with great experience, which it would seem should be a fair enough starting point for an actual apprenticeship, was very much a focus of the Entrepreneurial Scotland event.
It is always heartening to see, and hear of, some of Scotland’s most successful entrepreneurs giving up so much of their time to help others.
Such enthusiasm to pass on wisdom was in abundance when members of Entrepreneurial Scotland, formed by the merger of the Entrepreneurial Exchange and the Saltire Foundation, gathered this week.
Oil and gas industry entrepreneur Bob Keiller, who will soon step down as chief executive of Aberdeen-based Wood Group and become chairman of Scottish Enterprise, used the analogy of, literally, being “shown the ropes” of rock-climbing by an aunt and uncle.
It was a good analogy, focusing on achieving one stage at a time, with practical, hands-on advice from the experts. In terms of the annual awards, the finalists in both categories provided plenty of reassurance that there is much to celebrate at the various stages of the entrepreneurial rock face.
Amy Livingstone and Julie Wilson of innovative baby products company Cheeky Chompers, who took the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year title, have built a business that has enjoyed great success at home and in many overseas markets. Cheeky Chompers is also providing valuable manufacturing employment in Scotland.
Iain Hutchison, of innovative extended reach drilling engineer Merlin ERD, and Jamie Coleman of technology incubator CodeBase, also deserve significant credit for making it to the final three contenders.
The impressive Mike Loggie, of Aberdeen-based Saltire Energy, picked up the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year award. The other two finalists in this category, selected after an extensive process conducted by accountancy firm Deloitte, provided stiff competition. They were Andrew Malcolm, of logistics and construction services company Malcolm Group, and Graeme Bone, of Drum Property Group.
It is interesting to note that, across the two categories, two finalists, Mr Loggie and Mr Hutchison, are from the oil and gas services sector.
This just goes to show that, in spite of the extremely tough climate in this sector right now, those with a plan, the energy and ambition to follow it through, and the courage to invest can still achieve significant success.
Such against-the-odds success in oil and gas services is surely one of the perhaps rare reasons to be cheerful right now in these difficult economic times.
Things are far from good in the UK economy, and it is far easier to see hindrance than help in Mr Osborne’s prescriptions, but Scotland seems to have a wealth of established and emerging entrepreneurs who will succeed regardless of the difficulty of the climb.
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