The spouses of UK business owners make an important contribution to their success, but there are some concerns

Bibby Financial Services reports that a supportive spouse is very helpful in making a business owner successful, but there are some problems.

38% of business owners’ partners think that working on weekends is normal and acceptable and 44% of spouses say that the business owner getting home late is their usual expectation.

Spouses contribute about £72 billion each year to the UK economy by helping their partner, providing 230 million unpaid hours of work monthly.

81% of small business proprietors have their work incorporated into their home life, with 45% working while watching TV, 27% working while eating, and 10% working in bed.

52% of business owners think that it is acceptable to sacrifice time with family and friends if required to do so for business reasons. However, only 18% of their spouses agree with that.

49% think that spending less time with their spouse is ok if required, but only 14% of their spouses agree with that.

40% of business owner think it is ok not to take an annual holiday if business demands their presence, but only 12% of spouses are happy with that. When they do go on holiday, 33% of business owners take work with them.

24% of spouses say that excessive work focus causes arguments and 29% say that lack of help around the house creates problems.

87% of spouses are regularly disappointed by their business owner partners regarding social activities and they say that their partners average 10 hours a day of work while claiming only to work between 6 and 9 hours a day.

So the spouses of business owners make a valuable contribution to their success but there are areas of contention.

We assist the profitable running of businesses with our UK Online Business Directory, which has 1.6 million businesses listed, by providing them with qualified prospects at no cost.

The UK is now the most advanced digital nation, based on usage

An Ofcom international comparison study found that:

Regarding how much time UK internet users spend online, we are now number two, with fourteen hours a week online, an increase of 6.5 hours a week since 2004, the largest increase in the survey.

With the level of online advertising, the UK was top of the survey, with 19% of all UK advertising now being spent on the web.

25% of UK residents now have a broadband connection.

There are now nearly one million mobile online users and the coverage for faster mobile broadband speeds is best in the UK, of all the countries surveyed.

The Government has announced the development of a Digital Britain Plan - an analysis of the digital economy in the UK, to ensure that the current lead over other countries is not lost. In addition, the UK Government this week announced the cutting of the VAT we pay on goods and services purchased from 17.5% to 15% for the next year.

So the digital aspect of the UK economy is strong, despite the otherwise depressed financial circumstances.

Small businesses who are having a difficult time, with reduced credit and extended payment periods from larger businesses, are in a competitive position when it comes to digital marketing.

Google Ads have the same format for all businesses regardless of their size and financial clout. So while larger businesses may have a larger advertising budget, their smaller competitors can run online marketing very profitably.

We assist with our Online UK Local Search Business Directory, which has 1.6 million businesses listed, most of which are small businesses, by sending them qualified prospects without cost.