By Guest Contributor, instaprint.
50% of UK small businesses are already experiencing the negative impacts of Brexit, with 80% worried for their business’s futures, a survey into how business owners really feel about leaving the EU has uncovered.
British business owners were recently given the chance to voice their Brexit-based concerns and took the opportunity of anonymity to share what they really thought of the delays and what it could mean for them.
The survey, by online printing company instantprint, revealed that business owners are facing unprecedented levels of uncertainty, with only 1 in 5 businesses professing to feeling prepared for our withdrawal from the EU on 31st October.
One business owner claimed that a crash in the economy caused by Brexit would render their product a luxury, and therefore a non-essential in times of pinching pennies.
Another confided that they fear visa implications and other currently unknown administrative costs will make their service a less favourable candidate within the EU.
Business growth has also been halted with 79% of respondents claiming to have seen sales slowing.
When asked whether they’d prefer a no-deal Brexit or cancel it all together, over a third of small business owners would want to call the whole thing off.
Regionally, businesses in the south feel less prepared (32%) than their northern counterparts (24%).
However, both northern and southern businesses are in agreement that their businesses will be worse off following a no-deal Brexit (69% and 63% respectively).
Sole traders are hit the hardest with 72% feeling ill-prepared for the impact of leaving the EU.
When quizzed on who’s to blame for the delays to Brexit, small business owners pointed fingers at the Conservative Party (44%) followed closely by the European Union (33%), with the Labour Party taking third place (18%).
Blame was also directed towards historic PM problems with David Cameron (13%) and Theresa May (9%).
Brexit workplace bust-ups are rife with 43% of respondents claiming to have had a disagreement about their Brexit views with a colleague.
Northerners have been revealed as the most argumentative over Brexit, with half of all northern small business owners having experienced a Brexit bust-up in the workplace, compared to 1 in 3 in the south.
Jon Constantine-Smith, Head of instantprint, said: “This research goes to show how divided the country remains over Brexit but also how it is already starting to impact small businesses.
“With less than four weeks to go before the expected leave deadline it is clear small businesses have very little clarity over what they need to do to prepare for Brexit. We hope this research will help MPs realise what impact Brexit is currently having on the small business economy and will make sure they provide the necessary support that small businesses need to ensure disruption is minimised.”
WHO DO SMALL BUSINESSES WANT TO DELIVER BREXIT?
(1) Boris Johnson, Conservative Party – 45%
(2) Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrats – 27%
(3) Jeremy Corbyn, Labour Party – 19%
(4) Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish National Party – 9%
(5) Jonathan Bartley and Siân Berry, Green Party – 8%
TOP TEN NON-POLITCAL CANDIDATES FOR NEGOTIATING A DEAL
(1) Business Owners Themselves – 51%
(2) Alan Sugar – 37%
(3) No One – 20%
(4) Richard Branson – 14%
(5) The Queen – 13 %
(6) David Attenborough – 10%
(7) Stephen Fry – 8%
(8) Piers Morgan – 7%
(9) Tim Martin – 6%
(10) Martin Lewis – 6%
About the author
Founded in 2009, instantprint is an online printing company, made up of a friendly bunch of talented individuals with a hunger to help their customers reach their customers in the best way. With print that makes them look amazing. And helps their business to flourish. Making them so much more than a printing company.
instantprint are proud to offer sustainable print services, using the greenest possible paper options available, and on top of this they are FSC certified. The company are also ISO certified, and all of their packaging (even the plastic!) is recyclable. They pride themselves on their partnerships with several waste management companies, which means they recycle 97% of all their waste.
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