SMALL business bosses in Yorkshire are just as likely to turn to family and friends for advice as they are to speak to professionals, according to a new survey.

Research carried out for Growth Vouchers – a government programme that helps businesses to pay for professional advice in areas ranging from finance and cash flow to sales and marketing – found that more than half of Yorkshire small business chiefs have approached personal contacts as well as professionals outside of their close circle for business advice.

Even so, 43 per cent of regional business leaders said they are most likely to trust professional advice with 68 per cent saying they would benefit from such help.

Key reasons for not using professional advice included feeling that friends and family were more familiar with the business.

Business minister Matthew Hancock said: “We are simplifying the government’s businesses support schemes to make it easier to find and access the right support at the right time.”

To be eligible for Growth Vouchers, firms must be based in England and employ less than 250.

Visit greatbusiness.gov.uk/growthvouchers/.