According to the Institute for Family Businesses there are 3 million family firms in the UK and they represent two in every three UK private companies.
Moreover, some of these companies have endured and prospered for almost 500 years.
A recent article in the BBC magazine http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25711108 provided a fascinating insight into some of these firms as well as asking how they had managed to survive for so long in a changing world.
They were a diverse bunch, from a family butcher that started with a market stall in Dorset in 1515, to a building company from Kent that has been trading since the reign of Elizabeth 1.
Two things stand out clearly in their survival. They are attention to customer service; and a willingness to innovate.
Arguably trading conditions have never been tougher than they are in this the 21st Century with customers able to access global suppliers so for any SME owner who is competing in the current market these stories provide a lesson and encouragement.
With a positive attitude, with support from an experienced business advisor as and when needed, and with proper planning and focus on cash flow many SMEs could still be around for the next half millennium.