Annual Trends Research Also Shows That Nearly Half Think Talent Shortage is Worse Now Than Five Years Ago

Ott Vatter, managing director of the Republic of Estonia’s e-Residency programme, which enables business people to establish and manage an EU-based company paperlessly from anywhere in the world, explains how UK businesses can benefit from the service after Brexit

Wendy Clarkson, managing director of West Midlands-based Christmas decoration supplier and installer Fizzco, says Brexit is just another obstacle that her small business has had to work around

Paul McFadyen, founder of West Yorkshire-based online supplier of metals, plastics and engineering products metals4U, talks stockpiling, EU staffing and how he craves some certainty on how Brexit will playout

Don Marshall, head of e-commerce and marketing at Kinross-based packaging solution provider Exporta, says Brexit has made trading trends harder to predict

Kate Pietrasik, founder of childrenswear clothing brand Tootsa MacGinty, explains why she gets the feeling that the larger stores will cut back on stocking independent brands in the Brexit climate

Mike Hampson, CEO of London-based financial sector change management firm Bishopsgate Financial, says Brexit combined with changes to IR35 legislation could hit the financial services sector hard

Paul Kelly, managing director of Essex-based international turkey breeder Kelly Bronze, spoke to us last year about his arrangements for Brexit. Here he updates us on his plans to open a second base in the Netherlands to get around possible tariff difficulties

Patrick Turner, sales director at Manchester-based natural beauty product brand Faith in Nature, is thrilled to have been able to help the business expand into Europe despite Brexit

Stephen Wilson, CEO and co-founder of Edinburgh-based health and social care recruitment software-provider Novacare, says everything possible must be done to retain the workers that come from the EU to work in the UK’s health and social care sectors

Benjamin Heyd, head of marketing and co-founder of luxury essential clothing manufacturer Sanvt, explains how Brexit is impacting his Munich-based SME

Rafael Rozenson, founder and CEO of protein water manufacturer Vieve, explains why small businesses can’t afford to make the expensive contingency plans necessary to protect themselves from every Brexit scenario

Paul Lusty, owner and director of Gloucester-based specialist transport and logistics firm WMB Logistics, says it’s very difficult to prepare even customs paperwork for Brexit when you don’t know what paperwork is required

Tim Holt, co-founder and finance director of Cheshire-based Plastic Card Services, says that he noticed that businesses seemed to show a little more confidence when Boris Johnson took over as Prime Minister

Ed Hollands, founder and managing director of Nottingham-based truck advertising firm DrivenMedia, explains how his Dragon’s Den-backed firm is indirectly being impacted by Brexit

Richard Davies, managing director of Cheshire-based Hattons Model Railways, says that trading internationally has prepared him for following WTO rules in the event of a no-deal Brexit

Julianne Ponan, founder and owner of Surrey-based ‘free-from’ products manufacturer Creative Nature Superfoods, is frustrated by the continuing Brexit uncertainty

Graham Richardson, group managing director of Yorkshire-based commercial horticultural nursery Johnsons of Whixley, explains how he is planning to keep his business and his products growing through the Brexit uncertainty

Andrew Vear, owner of Lincolnshire-based button-badge making machine manufacturer eBadges is taking a pragmatic approach to Brexit

Matt Broadway, European president of US-based vacuum and small appliance company SharkNinja, reveals the different steps he is taking to prepare the business as best he can for Brexit – deal or no deal

Phil Purdie, director of The Chalet Company, is concerned that it will become much harder to recruit staff to work in his chalets post-Brexit, but he is doing all he can to prepare for this eventuality

Lars Andersen, the founder and managing director of label company My Nametags, says he is ready to move part of his international operation out of the UK in the event of No Deal, but he hopes it won’t come to that

Wayne Dance, managing director of bedroom, bathroom and kitchen supplier InHouse says that Brexit is a challenge and to successfully surmount it you have to view it as an opportunity for growth

Chris Johnson, managing director of Oxfordshire-based bearings supplier SMB Bearings, explains the frustrations that beset an SME trying to make a living in the Brexit era

Ross Edwards, managing director of Staffordshire-based premium brand motorhome dealer, Erwin Hymer Centre Travelworld says Brexit has knocked everyone’s confidence but the motorhome business is still booming

Anthea Morris, co-founder and finance director of Lancashire-based sexual health testing service provider Better2Know, explains the complexities involved in preparing a small, yet global, company for Brexit

Victoria Brocklesby, chief operating officer of Buckinghamshire-based aluminium bifold door and window manufacturer Origin, explains how the Brexit uncertainty has actually boosted her UK business

Luke Davis, CEO and founder of IW Capital, a private investment house offering debt and equity investment opportunities into scaling SMEs, foresees regulatory technology companies being best placed to exploit Brexit

Vincent Desmond, CEO at the Chartered Quality Institute, explains that the CQI’s membership is multi-sector and international and this gives it a unique insight into how different organisations perceive Brexit

Fearing a fall in demand from Europe post-Brexit, Jonathan Rea, owner of plant machinery exporters Omnia Machinery, started looking for new markets to enter and he thinks he’s struck gold in China

Daniel Tedham, managing director of pharmaceutical supply chain and logistics business Wasdell Group, explains why he thinks that opening a base in Ireland could literally save lives in a hard Brexit

Andrew Goddard, executive chairman, of Shropshire-based lubricant manufacturer, Morris Lubricants, says he is preparing the business for a no-deal Brexit

Sian Holt, managing director of Kent-based premium confectioners Fudge Kitchen, says sticking with sterling was the best business decision she made after the referendum

In the absence of any real governance from local or national Government, Cormac Diamond, the founder of Belfast-based blind manufacturer and designer Bloc Blinds, is preparing for the worst and hoping for the best when it comes to Brexit

Mark Bembridge, CEO of artificial intelligence contextual marketing company Smartology, is concerned about a shrinking talent pool but relieved his firm won’t have any issues with GDPR post Brexit

Richard Carter, managing director of BASF plc UK and Ireland explains how the world’s largest chemical business is getting set for Brexit

Gavin Lapidus, the founder of tour operator and travel agent eShores, says that fully ATOL-protected travel companies could stand to gain from Brexit as they will guarantee EU holidays that won’t necessarily be covered if booked direct

Garry Park, co-founder of Hertfordshire-based digital dictation and outsourcing company Dictate Now says that a Brexit-induced recession could have some benefits for his business as people look to outsource to cut costs

Nihat Arkan, global CEO of Leeds-based language translation, interpretation and localisation specialist thebigword, is investing thousands to ensure his non-British staff can stay in the UK post-Brexit.

Mike Pound, managing director of Sheffield-based governance, risk and compliance software development and service provider Qualsys says the exchange rate has worked in his favour and he is now busy Brexit proofing his contracts and data storage

Vas Carp, CEO of Bristol-based LV Construction Ltd, says that Brexit has already reduced the supply of construction workers available to work in the UK and he fears that his labour supply will only worsen after Brexit

Ed Challinor is a volunteer police officer, barrister, and CEO and business analyst of private dental practice Smileworks Liverpool. All these different hats give him a unique perspective on Brexit and he says that to survive  Brexit and come out thriving you must prepare for the worst-case scenario and manage all of your risks

Chloe Watmore, managing director of Derbyshire-based custom-designed thermal products manufacturer Thermotex Engineering says that many SMEs avoid discussing Brexit, but she is adamant that it mustn’t be pushed under the carpet

Jeremy Stern, managing director of PromoVeritas, a London-based marketing agency specialising in promotional compliance, is primarily concerned about the emotional impact that Brexit will have on his company’s relationship with its EU clients

Gil Kahana, co-founder of sock and giftware company ChattyFeet, believes that being a small business will give him the flexibility to deal with the logistics of Brexit.

Robert Hardy, is director of food distributor Oakland International, and through Oakland Invicta operates a HACCP check-point in Kent. Here he explains why he thinks that exports will be the trigger for the major Brexit disruption

Angela Heaton, managing director of wholesale tour operator and destination management company AC Group, says that it has got harder to recruit foreign language speakers since the referendum

Mark Brownridge, director general of the Enterprise Investment Scheme Association (EISA) says Brexit is causing some investors to hold off investing in small businesses, but it’s not putting people off starting a business

Kristina Locke founder of organic and ethically-traded food business Wholebeing Health Foods and the SugaVida brand is hugely concerned that Brexit could temporarily halt organic certification in the UK

Gary Stevens, managing director of electrical wiring accessories manufacturer Focus SB Ltd says he has never found EU countries easy to trade with and, in comparison, his recent entry into the Chinese market has been surprisingly productive

Deborah Price, managing director of Staffordshire-based underwear and loungewear brand British Boxers, is frustrated that Brexit-related issues are diverting her away from growing her business and her suppliers can’t understand why the UK is going down the Brexit route.

Robbie Toan, founding director of online Cheshire-based pharmacy Assured Pharmacy which specialises in men’s embarrassing health treatments, is stockpiling medicines to avoid potential Brexit-related supply problems and it’s taking its toll on cash flow

Ben Whitaker, director for EMEA for B2B online auction platform B-Stock, which specialises in reselling liquidated, overstock and returned stock and works with some of the world’s largest retailers, explains how the secondary market is set to make huge gains from Brexit

Lee Summers, managing director of Bromley-based building services firm Oakmore Builders, shown here at the launch of the Parliamentary Review of the Construction Sector to which he contributed, is incredibly frustrated that the Government still can’t give any conclusive answers on its Brexit strategy

The fast-developing Asian markets offer huge opportunities for UK exporters and Siddharth Shankar, CEO of Tails Trading, says he has the formula that lets British firms crack it

International turkey breeder KellyBronze is ring-fencing its businesses and moving some of its production to Holland to minimise the disruption that Brexit will cause, reveals managing director Paul Kelly

Richard Slee, chief executive of print and digital communications solutions specialists Adare SEC, says the print industry is already battling with rising paper prices and Brexit could push them even higher

Duncan Moir, product director of Epicor Software systems says that firms must get the right software in place before Brexit if they are to minimise the disruption and additional costs it will cause their business

Luca Amaduzzi is the co-founder of the innovative bicycle safety company CYCL. He successfully negotiated a deal in the venture capital TV show Dragons’ Den, but to keep his business on the winning track post Brexit he is seriously considering relocating…

Robin Penny managing director of Derbyshire-based lifting equipment manufacturer Penny Hydraulics Group says the prospect of a no-deal Brexit has led him to over stock

Nick Russell, director of civil and structural engineers Thomasons, who have offices across the UK, says that his firm is not personally impacted by Brexit, but as its clients are it is still having a knock-on effect

Rune Sovndahl, co-founder and global CEO of home services provider Fantastic Services says being able to rapidly adapt to changing circumstances will be key to businesses survival post Brexit.

Joe Owen, is an associate director of the think tank The Institute For Government where he’s leading the research into Whitehall’s preparation for exiting the EU. He explains how the Institute aims to help the Brexit process and why negotiating a deal for Brexit is more complicated than any other trade deal

Taig Karanjia, chief operations officer of gifting business Rex London is creating a base on mainland Europe to minimise any disruption to his trade with EU nations post-Brexit…

James Ecclestone, founder of Essex-based confectioners the Grown Up Chocolate Company says he’s always been proud to call himself a British manufacturer, but he’s seriously considering moving to Slovakia as a result of Brexit

Matt Deighton, managing director of Lancashire-based family-run Chesterfield furniture company Timeless Chesterfields, says that the lack of clarity on the terms of Brexit makes it particularly hard to plan for…

Nick Thompson, managing director of bespoke software solutions developer DCSL Software, based in Farnborough and London says his company was initially hit hard and fast by the Brexit vote, but it’s become stronger as a result

Florent Malbranche, CEO and founder of staffing platform Brigad, which connects workers with jobs in the hospitality industry, sees Brexit as an opportunity for growth

Alex Ingham, managing director of Stockton-on-Tees-based workwear, safety and protective clothing company M.I. Supplies, explains how Brexit spurred the company to explore new territories.

Julia Munder, marketing manager of the UK-based luxury goods brand Maxwell Scott, reveals how the company began adapting for Brexit days after the referendum

At what point did you realise that Brexit was going to have an impact on your business?

Straight after the referendum, we realised that Brexit would impact the business. We are a luxury leather manufacturer and retailer…