Happy new year. Three simple words that seem loaded with meaning and resonance some years more than others. Due to the vagaries of the Christmas shutdown, I'm writing this before December has really got underway. So forgive me if predictions made here for the start of the year have already been trumped by events.
But it's a safe bet that 2011, as every year does, will begin with a psychological tussle between the optimistic and the pessimistic. The benefits of a clean slate lead to many new resolutions for the year ahead. But most of these wilt in the face of a bleak, dry January filled with dread and that post-Christmas comedown. What's true for individuals is equally the case for organisations and the business world in general, where economic uncertainty and the impact of a VAT rise will bring out the doom-mongers. Every negative indicator, from house prices to GDP, will be seized on as evidence that we're heading back to recession. But the more cheerful will be busy launching ventures, happy to seek succour in the idea that a downturn is the best time to start a business.
This month, Director is happy to pitch its tent firmly in the positive camp. We've lined up an impressive array of businesses to watch out for this year, from a British electric sports car firm seeking £15m in funding to a company aiming to change the perception of Indian wine, via an eco-friendly milk bottle and a scheme that uses pants to eradicate poverty.
These are 20 businesses displaying the endless invention that is a hallmark of UK entrepreneurs. While dour economists scratch out their gloomy forecasts, we're acting as cheerleaders for a new generation of upbeat thinkers, some of whom may fail, but all of whom will have achieved something simply by dint of having had the courage to give it a go.
It's an attitude we need to do more to encourage. It may not seem very British to be so gung-ho, but as Amy Duff discovers this month, our attitudes to risk are often surprising. Risk and protection against failure is also the subject of this month's research report. But perhaps the most revealing finding from the survey is that the vast majority of respondents are positive about their prospects for 2011. It's certainly a happy start to the new year.
Richard Cree