5:17:39 > 5:17:42'Small businesses are very important to the whole country.'
5:17:42 > 5:17:44Without small businesses on the high street,
5:17:44 > 5:17:46it would close the heart of the towns and villages.
5:17:46 > 5:17:47We're very excited, really.
5:17:47 > 5:17:50The first time for 100... over 130 years since we've been here,
5:17:50 > 5:17:52we are expanding and we've bought another shop,
5:17:52 > 5:17:54taking more employees on.
5:17:54 > 5:17:55Business has never been as strong.
5:18:02 > 5:18:04'Whether you are a small or a large business,
5:18:04 > 5:18:06'things have been extremely difficult.'
5:18:06 > 5:18:09More recently, things have improved,
5:18:09 > 5:18:11due to the fact that people come in more regularly.
5:18:11 > 5:18:15'We'll hopefully be able to employ some more stylists.
5:18:15 > 5:18:19'We're feeling really optimistic about the future.'
5:18:19 > 5:18:22MUSIC DROWNS SPEECH
5:18:22 > 5:18:25The overall measures that the Conservatives are taking
5:18:25 > 5:18:27to put some stability back in the economy
5:18:27 > 5:18:29are certainly helping small businesses like ourselves.
5:18:29 > 5:18:33We've gone from two employees two years ago, to ten today.
5:18:33 > 5:18:37Looking to increase that again, to 20 by the end of the year.
5:18:42 > 5:18:44'The Conservatives...I feel
5:18:44 > 5:18:46'are trying to help us in every which way they can.'
5:18:46 > 5:18:49Red tape is the bane of all small businesses like ours.
5:18:49 > 5:18:51We just want to concentrate on the job in hand.
5:18:51 > 5:18:53Cutting red tape has definitely helped us.
5:19:04 > 5:19:08Cutting the jobs tax for a small business like ours
5:19:08 > 5:19:10is absolutely fantastic
5:19:10 > 5:19:13because it allows me to employ more people.
5:19:13 > 5:19:18You know, I want people to feel proud to work for my business.
5:19:23 > 5:19:25When I went to school, you know,
5:19:25 > 5:19:27getting up in the morning was a bit of a chore.
5:19:27 > 5:19:29Now, when I come to work, I really enjoy it.
5:19:29 > 5:19:31I want to come in, get to work on time.
5:19:31 > 5:19:34Every day is different and at the end of the month, you know,
5:19:34 > 5:19:37I get a pay cheque, which means I can feel much more self-reliant.
5:19:37 > 5:19:40So it's... I feel much more independent now I have a job.
5:19:44 > 5:19:46'We definitely feel that the Conservative Government
5:19:46 > 5:19:48'are supporting us to grow.'
5:19:48 > 5:19:50The costs of running a business like this are excessive.
5:19:50 > 5:19:52With tax breaks that we've been given,
5:19:52 > 5:19:56we've been able to invest and put in new machinery
5:19:56 > 5:20:01'and that new machinery in turn has enabled us to employ more staff.'
5:20:07 > 5:20:11We are a small business now, but the sky is the limit.
5:20:11 > 5:20:14When this Government came to office, the economy was in a real mess.
5:20:14 > 5:20:17Businesses were closing, jobs were being lost and people questioned
5:20:17 > 5:20:19whether Britain could earn its way in the world.
5:20:19 > 5:20:22We're turning that around. The job's not done
5:20:22 > 5:20:25but you can see with all the businesses that have been backed,
5:20:25 > 5:20:27with all the jobs that have been created,
5:20:27 > 5:20:31we're really helping take this country out of the mess it was in
5:20:31 > 5:20:33and give it a secure future.
5:20:33 > 5:20:36Getting behind businesses, large and small,
5:20:36 > 5:20:38to help create jobs
5:20:38 > 5:20:40is absolutely essential for our economic future
5:20:40 > 5:20:42and our future as a country.
5:20:42 > 5:20:45That's what our long-term economic plan is all about.
5:20:45 > 5:20:48But even more than that, it's about our people.
5:20:48 > 5:20:51Every extra job is another person with a pay packet,
5:20:51 > 5:20:55with the ability to provide for themselves and their families
5:20:55 > 5:20:59and with all the piece of mind, stability and security that brings.