end of another affair...

So – it lasted 6 years, we stood by each through good times and uncertain (contract) times, I got them international recognition and extra project incomes, protected them from project and government office auditors, and it now ends…

Some of you will know that my first contract when I became freelance was with a local enterprise agency – and yesterday, that working relationship came to an end.

Naturally it’s a little sad from the sake of my bank account, but more so for the opportunities I had with them, the projects I ended up running, and the sheer variety of people it allowed me to come into contact with and support along their journey of realizing their ambitions of creating their own enterprise. It’s also sad because this split in our relationship is not the result of us falling out with each other, but because the way in which funding to support people wanting to set themselves up in business is changing – business advisors are increasingly seen as a ‘luxury’ that can’t be justified in the context of publicly funded support. And that’s what makes me more concerned – a lot of people I’ve supported over these 6 years through the enterprise agency needed encouragement and motivation, not just a fact sheet or to sit through group presentations; with the loss of the personal business advisor, I fear that many people won’t have the opportunity to have their self-doubt challenged and so not take that first step into realizing their long-held ambitions of changing the world through launching their own enterprise…

That won’t stop me trying to support them – there are still other enterprise support programmes running that I’m involved with (Making Local Food Work, the Co-operative Enterprise Hub, Unltd Connect, ...) but the value of a local business advisor with local knowledge supporting someone who wants to set up a local business is surely a key ingredient of any strong community and economy. And I’ll miss it...

The end of the affair...

Well, we knew this time would come, but that didn't stop us doing our best to spend as much time as possible together, getting up to all sorts of antics in all sorts of unusual places. And now that its over, and despite the squabbling beginning over who still owes who what, we still hope that one day we might once again be together...

I am, of course, talking about time limited enterprise support programmes that are managed by infrastructure or statutory bodies, but who use freelance consultants (like me) to enable them to achieve the programme's goals and targets.
There's a regional one just finished that I was fortunate enough to be a part of supporting the delivery of, and for a while it was great – enterprises would be 'given me' to help them look at all sorts of issues and ideas without the need to have to pay me (and in some instances actually ended up getting paid as well as having several days of my life!!), the project manager in the infrastructure body would always be on the phone or email with chaste messages about how happy they were with my performance, what they'd like me to do next, and to see if there were other things I might be able to do to make their life more easy and enjoyable; and in return? I got paid (always useful when you're not in a salaried position with a cat to support), I got the chance to work with groups who otherwise would never have the chance to get so much dedicated support, and I didn't have to go selling myself to find the work – my new best friend in the project manager found it for me!
And yet... all good things and all that.

The programmes' now finished, and like an affair drawing to a close, we start to find ourselves having less time for each other, conversations that would once have taken place by phone or in person are conducted by cold, short emails, and I find myself asking for the metaphorical 'favourite CD' back – namely the outstanding monies I'm owed from my final invoices submitted nearly 7 weeks ago...
There's little room for negotiation or threats at this stage (not that was at any other time either) in getting that money paid, but overall it leaves me felling somehow poorer for the whole experience – there's been no 'farewell bash' for all of us consultants to get together one last time with the programmes team to celebrate and reminisce, no offer given of feedback on how well we performed, or what hopes there might be for a future liaison together again one day...

Yes, this affair is sadly over, but I'm always in the market for a new one!