It has been one month since I wrote in this column about the revival of the automotive sector in the Midlands.

This month, I had planned to discuss the extent to which luck plays a role in creating a successful business. I guess that will have to wait.

I also wanted to focus exclusively on issues affecting the Midlands' business community. But, for now, unity across the whole of the UK takes precedence over regional nuances.

Over the past two weeks, the result and subsequent fallout from the Referendum has left one word on the lips of businesspeople right across the country, whichever way they voted: uncertainty.

At Business Growth Fund (BGF) we are investors, which means we are used to taking calculated risks, but we are also very used to adapting.

Things rarely go to plan in business, and sometimes they go off-piste completely, but time after time we see that businesses are resilient.

I can't speak for the whole investment community. My hope is that we do not see knee-jerk reactions or a flight of capital out of the UK.

But each firm will have their own strategy and their own reasons behind that strategy. I can, however, speak for BGF.

We were set up in 2011 to fill a gap in the funding market that was exacerbated by the last financial crisis.

Since then, we have become the most active investor of growth capital in British small and mid-sized companies - we have no plans to pause, or to slow down.

Gavin Petken, regional director, Business Growth Fund
Gavin Petken, regional director, Business Growth Fund

With that in mind, there are three things that we want our portfolio and other growing businesses in the Midlands to know. Firstly, BGF is a long-term investor and now more than ever we need to demonstrate this.

The currency and stock markets may continue to gyrate but they are first and foremost an indicator of current sentiment. BGF will keep thinking about what the businesses we back can do over five to ten years, not five to ten hours.

Secondly, we retain our deep-rooted belief that the UK is still today the most entrepreneurial country in Europe. The fundamentals that make this country so attractive for growing businesses have not suddenly disappeared.

We will not put the brakes on.

We will keep looking for Britain's most ambitious and promising businesses - and there is no better demonstration of this than the fact that we have announced three investments since the Referendum vote.

Finally, we know that the critical issues of access to capital, talent and markets are as pressing as ever, especially for smaller growing companies.

Given the current and coming turmoil in British politics, businesses need to step up to the challenges and opportunities of a post-Brexit Britain.

And that includes BGF.

We can't wait for politicians to provide the answers but we must ensure that the priorities of business are high on the agenda of the next Government and that Britain remains a pro-enterprise country with the policies to support that.

Above all else, what we need now is ideas. Out of risk and uncertainty, positives and opportunities can arise.

Crises and challenges can lead to the emergence of new ideas and necessity remains the mother of invention.

Some of the greatest companies are those that have persevered and invested in the most challenging times. So let's start formulating.

Because the last thing business needs now is to stand still for too long.

Gavin Petken is regional director, south, for the Business Growth Fund