Matt Hunt, the founder of The Protein Ball Co. and co-owner of The Great British Porridge Co., both based at Downsbrook Trading Estate in Southdown View Way, is currently in Valencia looking at potential warehouses for storage and manufacturing in the area. Approximately 50 per cent of the firms’ business is derived from exports to Europe, he said. Mr Hunt is worried that the added costs, tariffs, paperwork and potential delays at the port that could come with a no-deal Brexit will make the business uncompetitive in Europe. The business is already 30 per cent down this year just due to the coronavirus pandemic. While he is crossing his fingers for a deal, he said the business had to have a ‘plan b’ ready. “We really hope there’s a deal,” he said. “That would be easier for everybody.” While they would still retain the premises in Worthing in the case of a no deal, he said they would have to look at re-investments in order to afford the European operation. He said: “We want to keep everyone in one place. “We totally value the UK as a place to run a business. We have 45 staff and we really want to protect everybody, they are such great people. “We have such a great foundation in Worthing which we really want to keep. “That’s where it all started and the people who helped us get to where we are.” Talks between the UK and EU are resuming in Brussels today, with Michel Barnier – the EU’s chief negotiator – warning it was ‘the moment of truth’ for an agreement to be made. He said there was still a ‘chance’ of a deal, but the ‘path is very narrow’, according to the BBC. If a deal is not agreed by 31 December, the official end of the transition period, then the UK and EU will go on to trade on World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Mr Hunt said the uncertainty had left people ‘jittery’. “If a decision is made, even if you don’t agree with it, you can put the wheels in motion and start to plan,” he said. In the case of no deal, he said there would be ‘mayhem’ come January 1 as small businesses try and work out how to continue. “It’s really difficult, there’s no set idea of what the tariffs will be,” he said. “There’s a big gap of knowledge.” He added: “We are optimistic and we are entrepreneurs, we will try and find a way to make it work. “But the government also has to try and make it work somehow.“ For now, he and many other business owners have been left ‘worried’ about the situation. “Covid has been a real challenge to all companies,” he said. “It feels like this is coming at the end of a year when everyone is already exhausted. To then add more pressure feels really tough.”