You know how you shout at the TV when a quiz contestant is about to choose the wrong answer and lose thousands? It's the same with business reality TV shows, where a trouble-shooter comes along to sort out a struggling company. I can tell what's wrong, but the participants can't see it.
I suspect that's what will happen with The Business Inspector, a Channel Five series starting next Wednesday, 10 March. The Inspector is self-made millionaire Hilary Devey, the founder of a Pall-Ex, a pallet distribution network. (Where there's a niche there's money to be made.)
Each week Hilary will visit two businesses, from one-man bands to home-grown enterprises, in an attempt to steer them in the right direction. 'I am going to teach businesses how to improve their all-round knowledge and direction, cash flow, marketing strategy and, in some cases, even their enthusiasm,' she said. 'Britain’s brimming with creativity, but a terrifying number of businesses go bust each year and this shouldn’t be happening.'
So far, so normal. The odd thing about this show is that it's sponsored by HM Revenue and Customs. According to Accountancy Age, HMRC has paid £370,000 to back the series 'in efforts to close the tax gap by promoting good record-keeping'. It says that the exchequer loses £6bn each year through poor record-keeping and, according to the HMRC, the bulk of that is 'through SME errors'.
I might be jumping the gun here, but surely this sponsorship is a waste of money? First of all Channel 5 is, arguably, one of the smallest channels in terms of viewers. Immediately, the HMRC has decided to advertise on a flyer, not a billboard.
Second, do we actually learn from these TV shows? I think not. They're more about 'human interest' stories than actually educating the audience. The Apprentice, though fun, is more about Sugar getting to out-Cockney anyone else in the room. Dieting shows are, invariably, about showing fat people tombstones made out of cakes. (Of course the simple message of 'eat less, eat well and take exercise' isn't compelling enough for the producers to run with.)
It seems to me that what we need are business cookery shows (note: not cooking the books). A series where we can tune in, be told about a business problem and the 'recipe' to fix it. We'd see a breakdown of the situation, the numbers involved, ways to negotiate, tips on haggling and so on. A bit-by-bit guide to handling the most common problems that small businesses encounter.
That's the kind of show I'd learn from. Will The Business Inspector be it? We'll have to wait and see.
