SW business owners use search engines for advice

The Association of Accounting Technicians (ATT) has found that 14% of small business owners in the south west use internet search engines as their main source of business advice.

ATT's research was to find out what owners think when it comes to running their business.

The survey asked business owners where they go to for information and support to help them run their business, problems small business owners in the south west face when starting out, and how confident they were in being able to do certain steps of setting up their business before they started out,

The study revealed that 20 percent of owners went to an accountant, and 14 percent relied on the internet for help to run their business and 22 percent said they struggled with finance when starting out.

Most of the small business' that took the survey showed that they struggled with one area of their business whether that be finance, marketing, law or human resources.

Shockingly, only 12 percent of the surveyed owners were confident about starting their business idea with 32 percent admitting to jumping into their business after doing less than a months research.

Rob Alder, head of business development at AAT, said: “Starting your own business can be a daunting process. This research shows that many people who want to run their own business may need more help when they’re starting out, including learning essential skills such as creating a business plan and keeping the books under control.

"If you have a business idea, it’s essential you do as much research as possible to ensure your idea has the best chance to succeed. Being confident in yourself and your idea is excellent, but you should still ensure you get as much advice as you can, from multiple sources.”