News from Spain's National Institute of Statistics (INE) released over recent days has demonstrated two disturbing things.

One is that the number of Bankruptcies of small to medium sized businesses (PYME's) has now reached all-time record highs, the second is that the total number of all businesses operating here in Spain has reached a five-year low .

Of course, only an idiot could deny that the vast majority of Bankruptcies have been caused by circumstances beyond the control of the business owner - namely the prolonged economic global downturn, the cash of the Spanish property market, and Spain's second recession in as many years.

However, when your back is against the wall every small-to-medium sized businessman comes out fighting to protect his (or her) livelihood, and does each and every last thing that they can do or think of to generate growth - or at the very least sustain enough revenue to stay in business.

Or at least you would have thought so.

In these severe economic times it beggars belief that, in a surprising number of cases, I am finding it next to impossible to spend my hard-earned cash at a local small Spanish business.

>> How NOT to run a business in Spain <<

On walking around many of the Town centers local to me it seems that the only small businesses actually bothering to market and promote themselves with special offers etc... are expat businesses, and that the Spanish are simply battening down the hatches to weather out the storm - or doing the time honoured thing of relying on family, friends, word of mouth and previous clients returning etc... to sustain their business and keep afloat.

I have always admired and begrudgingly respected the Spanish 'work to live' mentality, but in some cases it seems to be that many of them need reminding of the severity of the state of the economy.