UK GDP data: reaction from small businesses

"April and May have been absolutely bonkers. As a staycation business, we are lucky enough to have been inundated with bookings, and very fortunate that BoJo has allowed holidays to take place across our green and pleasant land. "However, the hospitality industry is already on its knees with a reduced workforce (cheers Theresa May for scrapping our phenomenally brilliant seasonal workers from across Europe. Oh and Brexit). "A battle doth commence betwixt exhausted restaurant owners, cleaning companies on their knees, and pooped pub landlords to secure the hallowed British seasonnaire. Elevated hourly wages and even golden handshakes for lasting the season are being offered to lure people into the industry. "Currently feeling bright about the UK economy like the buoys that mark a sailing race, bobbing up and down in the storm and weathering the battle against wind and tide. But come the Autumn I expect we will need to batten down the hatches."

"We’ve had a really busy April and May, fielding new enquiries and taking on new business. For the first time it feels like the promised ‘bounce back’ might actually be happening. However, it’s a very tenuous positivity. "All being well, all the increased activity we’ve been experiencing is great news for the economy, but we still have to hit the 21 June milestone successfully. With the Indian variant of Covid picking up pace, there’s no saying what will be announced on the 21st, which could throw everything up into the air once again. "The end of the furlough scheme and the announcement on the 21st of June are intrinsically linked. Businesses that are so positively stepping forwards right now could have the rug pulled from under them if each hand by the Government isn’t played exactly right."

"Business appears to be absolutely booming and we're hitting the recruitment trail again this month, having already grown from two staff to 15 in the past year. May was comfortably our best month ever as a business and we've already nearly surpassed those figures for June. "Admittedly we are riding the crest of a wave with a very bouyant housing market for our main mortgage business but our new side projects like will writing and estate planning are generating profits already just two months after launch. "I'm incredibly positive about the economy. People have cash to spend and are keen to do so and, if you are an agile business ready to adapt to how the public want to deal with you (for example we were early adopters of zoom and embrace talking to our audience on social media), there is profit to be made. "Dinosaurs who won't adapt though are going to struggle. Maybe this is a good thing as it means more innovation and better outcomes for clients and customers alike. "We hear lots of talk about whether the roof is going to fall when furlough ends. Frankly I doubt it. It's so hard to find good recruits at the moment compared to a year ago. If anything, maybe the long-term furloughed will end up in the arms of progressive, agile and growing businesses."

"Our sales have been strong since re-opening our coffee shops, despite the ongoing restrictions, with certain stores performing much stronger than others depending on locality. Our communities have been extremely keen to get back through our doors and experience genuine hospitality once again. "The frustrating part is having to follow so many more processes to ensure we operate to the very high (higher than non-essential retail) regulations. The above, alongside our reduced capacity due to social distancing, does minimise the potential for a quicker recovery by reducing profitability. "We're optimistic because there is no joy in being any different and we will make the best of whatever situation we have presented to us."

"Like Alan Partridge, the UK is bouncing back. "Property prices are booming and demand from buyers has kept agents and brokers on their toes for months. Even with the Stamp Duty deadline just around the corner, the market seems to be holding up. "But as we approach an uncertain Freedom Day, the rest of the economy hangs in the balance. The end of furlough will reveal the businesses that have been propped up by Government schemes, and we'll likely see unemployment figures rise. "Can a Euros win give us Brits the Blitz spirit we need to carry on spending? Or will we see a slump once state support ends? Time will tell, and we don't have much time to wait to find out."

"I have had the best year financially since I started (2015) - but emotionally? Exhausting. The coronacoaster has been a terrifying ride that just keeps on giving. "Excluded from any support, it's just as well I was able to build on my previous track record to bring new clients into the world of tenders and grant funding (hardly any of the latter, a boom of the former) to secure them much needed contracts during this year. "April and May have seen a continuation of that trend, but I get the feeling that many SMEs are tired and still worried - we really don't have the reserves for another lockdown and we are very wary of the news. However, trying to be confident even when we are not sure, I hope our resolve and passion will win the day. SMEs are the lifeblood of the economy, after all."