The drying up of business funding to West Midlands and Staffordshire SME's, may prove disastrous in the long run according to a Midlands-based freight forwarding company.

Lichfield-based Espace Europe, believe their company's growth is almost entirely down to the financial support they received over the years from various Government bodies, predominantly Business Link.

Espace Europe, established in 2000, have tapped into various local Government funding programmes over the last 11 years. This has enabled the company to grow from 3 people and £1 million turnover in year 1, up to 30 people, 3 offices and an £8 million turnover in year 10.

Now, Tony Shally, Espace Europe Commercial Director, wants other local companies to know, there is still help out there.

"In 2002, we enrolled in a high growth programme called Mustard, which helped us with our strategic planning and forced myself and my co-Director, Helen Crooks, to start working strategically on our business and stop working operationally in the business. We benefitted from further funding helping us with our Marketing and I.T, which culminated in us being short-listed for the Mustard Programme's High Growth Business of the Year in 2006." Mr Shally said.

Recently, Espace has also benefitted greatly from a Transformation Programme ran by Business Link. The initiative offers matched-funding to companies who met the high growth / Transformation criteria. This enabled Espace to enrol on an intensive business improvement programme.

"We would simply not be where we are today, employing 30 members of staff in 3 regional offices, had we not had the funding to help us think strategically about our business. I worry that we might be cutting our nose off to spite our face, if funding is completely cut to SME's," explained Mr Shally.

"We may start to breed a nation of smaller, lifestyle businesses, which offer very few employment opportunities to the ever-increasing number of unemployed people," Mr Shally added.

However, if you know where to go there is still help out there, according to Espace Europe.

East Midlands Business (EMB) Ltd, continue to deliver the highly successful Leadership and Management Advisory Service, on behalf of the Skills Funding Council. This scheme provides matched-funding of up to £1000 for management and leadership development activities.

Also, Business Link still offers funding to SME's with high growth potential for business coaching. This will hopefully be continued into next year under their High Growth Initiative Scheme.