A Perfect Storm

Small Business, Europe and Competitive Advantage

by David James Hood

AT a time of tremendous uncertainty in business, where Scotland is facing extraction from the EU against its will, we ironically have never been in a better position to reassess and act to improve the business environment for our SME sector.

For our part, we are setting up the Centre for Competitive Advantage, in Edinburgh, in response to the increasing demand for leadership in the Scottish SME sector, not only to combat the evermore difficult and competitive environment for our smaller businesses, but to capitalise on what could be a commercial inflection point for Scotland. We live at a time in our long history where not only political and societal change is happening rapidly in Scotland, but where our commercial connectedness is at the very centre of the debate. SMEs are asking themselves very serious questions - how can their organisations improve their profile, connectedness and competitiveness in their markets, both at home and abroad?

The big Constitutional question is being answered and is unfolding before our eyes; the economic and commercial argument for self-governance is being won (in large part thanks to the efforts of the Business for Scotland group) and on the micro level, businesses are now sitting up and asking whether to take action and what to do; to grasp the Brexit-induced convulsions and try to create real opportunity to challenge those that stand in the way of progress and take the initiative. A key weapon for the SME in this fight against isolation, in global markets, is proper determination and definition of their own unique, competitive proposition (USP) and converting this into a real, powerful Competitive Advantage and Edge.