It's not all bad news for Dorset businesses
A quick glance at the
current business news headlines on the BBC website is, on the face of it,
depressing.
Major retailers are reporting a drop in sales. House prices and sales, in the UK and overseas, continue to go down. A household name car manufacturer is predicted to go bust in the next few days.
Even the news that the Bank of England is not going to raise interest rates, for the umpteenth month in a row, is tinged with gloom - if you're a saver.
But against this dismal backdrop of national, even global, economic woe, the close-up view through the Digibug window is quite different.
We're seeing a steady flow of local entrepreneurs looking to start, or improve their business. A healthy number are talking to us about new or improved websites and social media marketing campaigns.
While we'll never be economists (please, no!) or expert commentators on what's going on, we are, as business owners ourselves, at the pointy end of the SME experience.
Our perspective is that while many are cutting new holes in their belts in order to tighten them further, there are also lots of brave souls who want to tame the economic wilderness by creating their own patch of commercial success.
That's good news for us at Digibug, because a new business means a new website. It's also good news for other local firms - printers, sign writers, accountants and others who serve these start-ups.
It's also great news for the Weymouth and Portland economy.
And, of course, it's an exciting time for those willing to take on the challenge of building their own business.
We wish them all well - even those who aren't coming to us for their graphic design and websites.