2014 - The Year for New Businesses?
With the British economy now predicted to grow 2.7% in 2014, it is unsurprising that the UK is seeing a boom in new businesses. The more positive economic outlook, combined with decreased job security working for established firms and a number of government investment incentives mean that 2014 could well be the year to start a new business.
One such business is Digivo Ltd, a web design company recently founded by two young entrepreneurs. Law graduate and Managing Director of Digivo Matthew Foster, 29, said "It's a big step starting your own business, so I think it's excellent that the government are doing something to reward investors. With the economy looking up and businesses feeling more able to spend money, I think this year is the first real opportunity young entrepreneurs have had since the recession hit."
Government schemes such as the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) are another major factor in the opportunities for new businesses. This scheme allows investors a whopping 50% tax relief on qualifying share purchases, making investing a much more tempting option.
When asked why they had founded Digivo at this time, Foster replied "There were several factors we looked at, but the overriding consideration was the economic climate. 12 months ago companies were not spending money. A website is not considered essential by all companies, so the opportunity to grow a web development business was not there in my eyes. Now, people are starting to spend again, plus the recession has cleared out a lot of the competition. It's not nice to say but the recession has left many markets much less saturated than they were 5 years ago. The companies who are left now have a massive opportunity, with the combination of the growth of online shopping and eCommerce plus renewed consumer confidence. Companies who want to capitalise on this are going to need an eCommerce, mobile optimised website to take full advantage. We wanted to be a company which provides this service. And so Digivo was born."
With the recovering economy and large tax breaks to investors in place, 2014 certainly looks promising for entrepreneurs in the UK.