Business Diary: January 8

Well, according to a new piece of research, only 28 per cent of people in Yorkshire and Humber would do so – less than the national average of 34 per cent. The poll asked 2,000 people the question and the findings suggested that people in Scotland were the least entrepreneurial, with only 20 per cent of people saying they would be “very likely” or “likely” to set up their own business.

In the North East, the figure was 21 per cent, compared to 44 per cent in the West Midlands, 39 per cent in the South East and 39 per cent in the South West, found the latest ICM research commissioned by Ovenu, a franchise business specialising in oven valeting.

Ovenu suggested that many people are unaware of the franchising opportunities available. Rik Hellewell, MD of Ovenu, said: “There is a widespread lack of understanding about the number of franchising opportunities available including those offered by leading UK brands.

“I strongly believe that these figures would be enhanced if we were to include franchising as an opportunity, but that would only be the case if people are armed with the full picture of what franchises are available.

“I understand that people are reluctant to make that leap into self-employment, but by allying with a strong and established brand this makes it far more likely that people will actively sign up for self-employment, or at least give the option of starting up in business a real consideration.”

Cold comfort

THE European Union might be Yorkshire’s biggest export partner by quite some way, but fortunately for our economy, our exporters send to the right regions.

Tom Vosa, economist at Yorkshire Bank, explained that Yorkshire companies tend to trade less with core eurozone countries and more with Scandinavia. “That should be useful,” he added, usefully.

Waiting room

THE new British Airways link between Leeds Bradford Airport and Heathrow is “hugely important” for helping Yorkshire businesses to increase their international trade, according to Neil McLean, the chairman of the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership.

“Heathrow literally is the gateway to the world.

“We want British Airways and others to improve some of their services out of Heathrow, of course we do,” said the lawyer.

He also spoke about the importance of the long-awaited high-speed rail link to connecting Yorkshire businesses to the capital and onward connections.

“We would like to have it in the next couple of years, not 20,” said Mr McLean.

Yorkshire waited more than 30 years for the return of British Airways. By comparison, 20 years might seem short.

A dry run

Drought is probably the last thing on most people’s minds after the second-wettest year on record.

But Huddersfield-based paving slab firm Marshalls is already preparing for drier days with a range of water management products, some of which are designed to capture water and help prevent drought.

“The first is to avoid drought and get water into the ground to avoid drought in the future,” said chief executive Graham Holden.

“It seems laughable but 12 months ago we were talking about it. There’s that concern for the south east of the country.”

The other side of its water management product suite helps deal with excess rainfall to prevent flooding. Diary suspects they may be more in demand at the moment.

The one and only

Diary is always fascinated to hear from correspondents with an unusual insight into the world of fashion.

Diary received a New Year missive from Dave Robbins, the Pudsey-based copyrighter, who was extolling the virtues of the “onesie”, which combines a hoody with bottoms.

Dave says: “I’ve been a onesie wearer long before the current rash of fashionistas claimed it as their own.

“The Robbo onesie differs in a few ways from its brasher sibling. For a start, mine doesn’t boast a hoodie.

“In fact it has something far better – a bobble hat that can be worn quite independently for a whole host of occasions.”

However, Dave has decided not to head for the catwalk and instead focus his efforts on providing “crisp and creative copy” in 2013.