YESTERDAY, I was quite rightly taken to task for my editorial in the last Business Car Manager e-zine, issue 92, suggesting the economy had slipped back into recession. It hasn’t, of course. It just went a bit wobbly at the knees.
“Surely, one quarter of negative growth does not fit the definition of a recession?” came the email keeping me on my toes from Mike Lloyd.
No, quite right, it has to be two quarters. Mea culpa. Thank you, Mike – boss of BVRLA-approved car leasing broker Central Contracts – for picking up on my sloppy writing.
Later on the phone, Mike joked: “My doom and gloom detector is finely tuned.” I apologised to Mike for riding shotgun on a media wave of bad news.
The point I was hoping to make, though, I explained to Mike, was that while everyone in the media was broadcasting a message to introduce a fuel stabliser or cut the April duty increase, this was actually a political decision. As business owners running company cars, we can’t just hope the Chancellor does the right thing. We have to roll up our sleeves and get on with the issue – a traditional ‘can-do’ attitude that most SME owners will recognise. Mike agreed.
“I just don’t always think the doom and gloom merchants really help,” continued Mike. “And is it really a reflection of what’s going on with small businesses?
“We have taken twice as many orders as we took in January 2009,” Mike continued, saying that the Nissan Qashqai and VW Golf had been the best sellers. “This is the highest order take month since we started trading. We mainly deal with SMEs, so I conclude that they are feeling confident, and they are also credit worthy!”
The voice of experience at the sharp end – and a further sign that SMEs truly are the engine room of the economy.
Editor’s Blog: Conversation with Mike Lloyd, Central Contracts
