Well today was judgement day in the Enterprise awards, as we the judges deliberated at length on which businesses we believe stand out above the rest in the Small, Medium and Large business categories.
As the owner of a small business I could empathise with many of the entrants as they battle to seek that point of differentiation which enables them to deliver long term sustainable value to their stakeholders.
What is so incredible was the sheer diversity of businesses - specialist shoe companies, wine makers, diamond experts, oyster farms, pr companies, web companies, architects, the list goes on.
When you think that there are around 2,500 businesses on Jersey that employ between 2 and 10 people, it does make you wonder what everyone else does.
So why is the only game in town as far as the politicians are concerned, Finance?
If finance left tomorrow what kind of state would our economy be in? Small business entrepreneurs need to be encouraged to ensure that the Jersey economy has diversity.
That doesn't mean that it wouldn't be a complete disaster if Finance left the Island, it does however mean that there might at least be the seeds of something to take its place, rather than a desert.
At the buffet lunch today where the judges got to meet the entrants, much of the talk was about the Regulations of Undertakings law. For those uninitiated in the employment rules of Jersey, Government has the ability to restrict the number of people a business can employ. The reason is because this is seen as a major tool in controlling population growth.
Although businesses can make applications to the department requesting an increase in the number of people employed, the process can be long and drawn out, particularly when non-qualified people are required.
Small business doesn't have the luxury of time. Growth doesn't happen in a straight line. There is usually a window of opportunity in which to make a significant move, however this is a foreign concept to Government.
As much as Government say they treat cases sympathetically, this only occurs after the correct forms have been filled out. There is a sense that entrepreneurs are seen as fugitives not yet behind bars and something as dodgy as an informal conversation is frowned upon.
Yet as seen in the enterprise awards entrepreneurs generate wealth, they employ people, and if encouraged to export can bring additional wealth to the Island.
Government is changing, but it's a long drawn out affair. You only have to witness what is currently happening to the Jersey Milk Marketing Board which the Managing Director described as "death by a thousand cuts" to understand the potentially disasterous impact that Government interference can have on business.
To paraphrase a famous saying and something that is appropriate when the next elections come round "ask not what you can do for your Government, ask what your Government can do for you" (with apologies to JF Kennedy)
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