MANY business owners across Scotland are concerned about independence.

For them, the decision to go it alone or stay part of the UK not only affects their personal and family lives, it raises questions about their livelihoods too.

They have spent years building up their companies, and some are worried about the effects of independence on their profits.

Many entrepreneurs felt uncomfortable to share their opinions, and told the Evening Times they were concerned about how their views may influence their relationship with customers, suppliers, workforce and colleagues.

However, others felt strongly that their peers should speak out and engage with the debate.

Donald Macleod, who owns a string of Glasgow nightclubs, including The Garage on Sauchiehall Street, and a yes supporter, said: "There's a lot of uncertainty with some people.

"An awful lot of businesses are worried as they don't know who they will be dealing with - Westminster or the Scottish Government.

"Business owners who don't want to speak about their opinions, their fears are baseless.

"A lot of them don't want to come out for or against in case their workforce go off. It's the fear factor. That's sad."

Sandy McLean, owner of record shop Love Music in Glasgow's city centre, believes independence is a risk, but one that he is prepared to take.

Sandy said: "For me it's the money. That's it. Looking at it from both sides of the fence, as a punter and as a business owner as well.

"The whole thing for me is a leap of faith and you're either prepared to make that leap of faith or not.

"We're all going to be slightly worse off, I think I read about £200 worse off, individually a year. I'm willing to suck that up in the hope of making a new and better country."

Sandy Craig Champion, owner of Glasgow-based software development firm ISAI Technologies Ltd, disagreed.

He said: "I think it's a bad idea. The UK just now is a pretty awesome place to be able to do business.

"I've done a fair bit of work in other places around the world and the ease at which we can do things here is really great.

"I don't see how independence will improve that.

"All it will do is cut the UK in half and make it more difficult.

"Artificially they would be placing barriers where there were none before.

Craig, who lives in the West End, still thinks none of his questions have been answered and said that if Scotland were to become independent, it could have repercussions on his business.

Craig said: "Whether we loosely follow the pound or not, we would inevitably have to have a different currency and probably a growing proportion of my business will be in England anyway, so I would have to be dealing with two currencies, two sets of laws, regulations.

"We're reasonably loosely regulated just now, but that will diverge so I will have to pay double accountancy fees, double legal fees.

"For a business of my size, quite a small business, that's really quite a significant cost.

"They're significant already. I think it will be a terrible idea."

Gillian Logan, who started up her business making a children's architecture game a year ago, was undecided about how to vote for a long time.

As a mum, she felt strongly that children throughout the country may be better off in an independent Scotland, but the she was unsure about the impact on her business, which buys parts from both England and Scotland.

Gillian, from Helensburgh, said: "I was an undecided voter for a long time and I realised it was getting close to the point where I have to make the decision. I'm feeling a bit of pressure to make the right one.

"I believe Scotland has the potential and the creativity and the resources to make it a success. It's a real risk, but it's maybe one I feel I have to take.

"As a business owner you're always going to have your concerns anyway. The way my business is set up I do import half of my parts from England and the other half from Scotland.

"I can't see there being import taxes if we are using the pound.

"From an English perspective I don't know why they would want to stand in the way of us using the pound."

hannah.rodger@ eveningtimes.co.uk