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@RishiSunak Rishi, yesterday I awoke, happy and full of hope. I went to bed full of dread. I now lie awake wondering what the Treasury and your party. Have planned for mine & my kids Future. You see I’ve run a brewery now for 8 years.
Those 8 years have been the toughest 8 years of my life. I started with less than 10k in the bank. I struggled to get loans, with no track record. And financial help was scarce. But I worked in a PAYE job doing up to 80hrs a week with travelling. And ran the brewery in the rest
Of the time I had available for a few months. Until I could gamble on enough sales to just rely on an income from the brewery. I made the tanks and equipment myself using my engineering skills and repurposed lots of S/H equipment & tanks. In order to make it work inside contraint
And the difficulties of trying to run a business in the U.K.
And Let me tell you running a small business in the U.K. Is Tough. It’s really tough! It’s far tougher than it needs to be. But your Governemt appears to think everyone is dishonest so taxes and regulation are at a
And Let me tell you running a small business in the U.K. Is Tough. It’s really tough! It’s far tougher than it needs to be. But your Governemt appears to think everyone is dishonest so taxes and regulation are at a
Point where anyone honest can’t make a living because, they are paying for the dishonest in business.
You almost have to be a crook and hide income to make it work.
However I have worked every hour that god sends and have re-invested virtually every penny back into my business.
You almost have to be a crook and hide income to make it work.
However I have worked every hour that god sends and have re-invested virtually every penny back into my business.
I have missed the last 8 years of my kids lives, because I have been working from dawn til dusk 7 days a week, making it work. I’m that time I’ve seen regulation tighten. It’s gotten far harder to operate. Duty has risen almost 43% the economies of scale have widened!
I’ve seen wholesale disappear in the past 3 yrs due to monumental rises in business rates on pubs. Meaning pubs will not buy cask beer at prices that work. You really have to be dishonest to sell cask, or work for nothing! I’m December last year after suffering with depression
Brought on by 8yrs of war with Government regulation. And Big Business racketeering and market control. Helped by your Government. I almost closed the doors and expected my house to be taken away from me, because it was all getting too much. You see winning awards for great 
Wasn’t enough to sell it at a price that works. & I’ve won several international awards for my beers. I’m also known internationally as an expert on using Heritage English Grown Barleys in historic Recipes. I’ve had orders from Japan (that I couldn’t fulfil
Because of the Inadequate way HMRC we’re unable to change our address for over 18months, meaning we couldn’t export anything. I had a unique product I couldn’t sell in the U.K. due to price, & a unique product I couldn’t sell abroad because of An HMRC I.T. System that didn’t work
However, I managed to beat depression. And make one last Push to try and overcome the adversity. It’s not how hard you hit, that makes you win, it’s how many times you can peel yourself off the canvas to ask for more punches. That makes you a winner. I borrowed more £ and
Decided I’d employ a Brewer full time & had enough £ to package 5000ltrs in cans with a new look/design. It was do or die. Try to make the business work. 5 days before the canning date we were hit with Lockdown. I had to decide if taking a risk with the last pennies I had
Was worth the risk! Sit or pay a packaging co to can 5000ltrs of beer. And try to sell direct to the public mail order. My wholesale business was gone, so it was my only option to keep the business open.
So I did put every penny I had in doing that, I risked everything.
So I did put every penny I had in doing that, I risked everything.
Thankfully that worked and we sold the majority online fast. I have kept people in employment, my brewer & I worked safely 2 of us brewing, dealing with takeaway customers. Outside in our licenced yard, Covid safe contactless. & we packaged more beer each month during lockdown.
We have paid duty each month. Not withheld. And have done all we can to supply our growing customer base each week: I’ve even employed a local youth to pack boxes creating employment in a time of great adversity.
But what have I done that for I ask myself as I lie here away?
But what have I done that for I ask myself as I lie here away?
Awake? The announcement that SBR will be altered soon fills me with Dread. The past 8 years have been for nothing it appears. Because if the detail reveals what I think it will. Your government is about to give a massive hand out to rich family owned business’s and stifle
Small independent business’s.
Entrepreneurs like me are about to have a government foot put on their heads. And we will drown as a result.
Reviewing SBR where it’s going to cost 150business’s that take less than £1m a year revenue, more in duty is going to stifle growth.
Entrepreneurs like me are about to have a government foot put on their heads. And we will drown as a result.
Reviewing SBR where it’s going to cost 150business’s that take less than £1m a year revenue, more in duty is going to stifle growth.
Putting a cap on growth by reducing the relief from 5000hl to 2100hl, whilst handing extra relief to people like Rupert Thompson of Hogs Back brewery who currently turn over more money per year than many of the 150 smaller brewery’s your taking from is Madness!
This policy is market control and a handout to the already wealthy. I now understand we really do have a silent class system in the U.K. and you can’t work yourself up the ladder to prosperity. You can’t make a future for your kids.
Because this government just looks after the already wealthy. Skills, intelligence. Hard work, innovation, & a high quality product count for nothing. The system is designed to kick you in the teeth and keep you down.
The order is keep our donors happy and keep their market.
The order is keep our donors happy and keep their market.
I do hope you read this. And change your mind. Because if the changes to SBR come in as I fear. It will he the end of the road. I can’t carry on working 7 days a week for nothing. I can’t carry on employing people whilst I don’t take a wage.
And I need to spend some time with my kids. They are just getting into adolescence and need guidance in order to grow up as responsible adults. The tax we pay is already far too high. Don’t increase the burden on Cottage industry. Don’t take off the small and give to the large.
There are other ways of increasing revenue, and allowing small business to flourish in these markets uncertain times.
Don’t put us and many other SME’s to the Dogs!
Regards
Shane Swindells
Founder
The Cheshire Brewhouse
Don’t put us and many other SME’s to the Dogs!
Regards
Shane Swindells
Founder
The Cheshire Brewhouse
