Next week I'll be taking part in a unique event. Along with representatives of other UK small business publishers I'll be debating the Entrepreneurs' Manifesto, a controversial set of proposals to shake up UK small business support proposed by former Dragon Doug Richard. At the live event, which you can attend, we'll be announcing the results of a special poll. I'll let Doug himself tell you more:
"On 6 May the country goes to the polls to vote for the party they want or, failing that, against the party they do not want to run this nation for the next 5 years. The Tories have focussed their aim on “the great ignored”.
"I would like to respectfully suggest that the “Great Ignored” are not who he thinks they are. I believe that both parties are ignoring the 5+ million people who run small businesses or who are self-employed and the further 10+ million people who work for a small business.
"They come from all walks of life. They come from every part of the nation. They represent the shoulders of the nation: all new enduring jobs in the last decade have come from small business. All new productivity growth has come from small business.
"But, and it is you I am talking to, are a notoriously hard group of people to reach. The traditional media do a very, very poor job of reaching out to, or addressing the issues of small businesses.
"Entrepreneurs are not easily grouped. We have no collective voice. There is no entrepreneurs' union. What is interesting is the reach of new media. The collective audience of the top 10 small business websites in the UK reach over two million businesses.
"No other media does that. So we decided to get together, competitors though we may be, and act as one. To give you a voice. To give you the opportunity to tell the government, whichever party that may be, what you have to say. We are launching today the Judgement Day Poll. It's a quick survey of the key questions we have been told you want the opportunity to express an opinion on. Click here to take the poll. And tell your friends. Tell your colleagues, tell your competitors. Tweet about the Judgement Day Poll, using the hashtag #JDpoll to share your thoughts.
"We'll be announcing the results at the live debate on 22 April at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in London. You can be there for only £15. Buy a ticket here. See you there!"
- 889 reads
- login or register to post comments
- Add to a social bookmarking site
The Pitch, our contest for small businesses, is back for its fifth year. In 2012, the competition is bigger and better than ever before! 
We've teamed up with Samsung to give readers the chance to win a one-on-one business mentoring from former Dragons' Den judge James Caan. 
Dragons' Den judges James Caan and Deborah Meaden and social entrepreneur Karen Darby are some of the successful entrepreneurs who feature in our exclusive videos. 
Join our social media discussion group and share your Twitter username with other BusinessZone members. 
We're putting together a list of business owners' must-haves.