Some good news, a study shows that almost half of small businesses have maintained their profitability.
The BBC reports how this news follows recent criticism by Lord Sugar, the government's enterprise champion, who described struggling small companies as "moaners".
It's claimed many small businesses have used their own cash to get through the recession rather than rely on banks, says the study by Kingston University.
Only a quarter of the 343 firms surveyed saw significant profit falls.
This finding is a clear contradiction that all small and medium-sized businesses would suffer heavily in the downturn as around 48per cent maintained or increased their profitability in the past year, it said.
