The Forum has commented on the confirmation of a hung Parliament in the general election.
While remaining politically neutral, the small business support group had hoped one party would win an overall majority in order to secure swift economic recovery.
However, with the election result creating an uncertain outcome, the Forum is calling for MPs to put aside their differences and create a functioning administration as soon as possible.
The Forum believes small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are crucial to Britain's economic recovery, with the potential to create jobs and spearhead innovation. But the not-for-profit organisation is concerned that the uncertainty and confusion caused by a hung Parliament will jeopardise this and hamper business owners' attempts to plan ahead.
Recent Forum research found that almost three quarters (70%) of small business owners were already finding it difficult to plan for 2010, even before this morning's general election result. With a hung Parliament potentially threatening to hold up tax and spending proposals aimed at tackling Britain's record deficit, this uncertainly is likely to increase further.
Forum Chief Executive Phil Orford said: "I expect many smaller businesses will be disappointed that the election has resulted in a hung Parliament.
"However, the outcome can't be changed so it is vital that the newly-elected MPs put aside party politics and work together to come up with a credible system of governance.
"With the economy still in a very precarious state and a mountain of public debt to be tackled, businesses owners need our elected representatives to move away from inter-party point-scoring and show political responsibility."
The Forum believes that the greatest drivers of growth in the UK economy will come from small businesses, with new ideas borne in rapidly changing sectors and developed at a speed that traditional models of government spending will not have the agility to support.
Securing the UK's reputation as a good place to do business will mean bringing Britain's finances under control. That will mean a combination of smart taxation and smarter cuts to public spending.
Whichever party is elected, the Forum believes that any drastic cuts to government programmes and initiatives should be balanced out with the need to ameliorate the damage of the recession. Put simply, there should be a continuity of support that goes beyond party politics.
As new technologies develop and new markets open around the world, there should be equal opportunities for small businesses to develop new business models in innovative ways.
