Can we find the best small business in each UK town?

Is it just me or is it really difficult to find a business you can trust nowadays?

It seems pretty ridiculous when you think about it. Today we have so many different ways to find information (websites/blogs/directories/newspaper etc) but there is still no place to go to in order to find out who the best business is in the local area.

I'll give you a good example - let's say that the washing machine springs a leak as it did a few weeks ago in our house. Now, I'd like to say that I'm a DIY guru...but I'm not. So, what did I do? I didn't have the first clue what to do as silly as it sounds. Clearly we turned the washing machine off which was a good start.... But the next bit was much harder. I don't know any local plumbers and having had my fingers burned a few years ago, I wasn't especially keen to pick up the local directory to find a plumber in the ads. The last time I did that (when we lived elsewhere) I had a guy come up to fix the central heating - it was past midnight and he charged and arm and a leg for us 'calling him out' and then left telling me he couldn't fix it!

There is no place to go to find the best plumber for my needs in my local area. Yes, there are various paper-based directories that come through the door every so often - they give me the contact details but I've no idea whether they are good, bad or average - expensive, cheap or reasonable - or if I can trust them... There's also the new-wave directories that have hit the web over the past few years - but they do a similar job in the main - also, there are so many of them that good tradesmen don't know where to list their business - so they end up adding a few words about themselves here, there and everywhere - but as a consumer looking for a plumber, I've got not intention of searching the web looking at loads of different websites - so those websites tend to hit a wall.

So - here is the problem - there is nowhere to go, nothing available. The small business wants to get their name out and to create a good reputation - but ends up posting their ads everywhere! The consumer still has nowhere to go to find a good small business for their needs. Mad, and when you really need something (e.g. plumber, electrician, florist, accountant) you have to rely on pot-luck or hope that one of your family or friends knows of someone.

Based upon this we've create a place that both reliable/professional small businesses can advertise their business, and where consumers can finally go to read about what those businesses do, and just as importantly what other people think of their services. I guess it's a kind of introduction agency to help the world go round a bit better!

I now want to get some momentum behind this - but if it's going to work we need to encourage as many small and medium sized businesses to register with us as possible. So, in an effort to make this happen, we're giving away membership for a full year to the first 5000 businesses that sign up before the 30th November 2007. For this, they get a full page to describe what they do; a unique web address to point their customers at; 100 'rating request cards' to ask their customers for feedback; stickers for their windows; letters to send to their customers and more. They can also query any comments that they aren't happy with and we'll investigate with the consumer on their behalf.

If you know of any good small businesses across the UK that you believe should be on the website please do forward this information on to them. We need your support to make this work and make a difference. The website is http://www.lookthemup.co.uk/ and it has literally only just launched, to get the free listing they just need to add the discount code 'Reader5000' when prompted.