Gather a group of small business owners in one room and what will they talk about?
Any observer of the British economy might reasonably assume that moans about the lack of lending to SMEs by Britain’s commercial banks will not be far from the agenda.
And, sure enough, they are not. What is more surprising, though, is the sheer level of optimism, enthusiasm and positivity on display.
This was the mood at the Fleet Street offices of Goldman Sachs yesterday as the investment banking group played host to some of the entrepreneurs that have participated in its “10,000 Small Businesses” programme.
The scheme, launched in 2010 in partnership with leading university business schools in Oxford, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and London, seeks to identify and support