Britain's Olympians may be bringing home the gold, but London businesspeople are not sure the 2012 Games will be worth the trouble.

Only 16% of businesses in the capital believe the next Olympics will be of any benefit to them, with just 12% saying they are excited by the prospect of the event, a survey has found.

Small businesses are the most sceptical, claiming the real Olympic gold will flow to big corporations able to strike sponsorship deals.

The survey by think-tank Tenon Forum shows that across the country just 10% believe the 2012 Games will boost their business while 15% think they will hurt them and 71% say they will have no impact. Two-thirds of Northern businesses dismiss the Games as a London event.

Michaela Johns, director of business services at Tenon, said the result was disappointing.

"The 2012 Olympic Games have the potential to generate a huge amount of revenue for the uK's businesses," she said. "This is not just for the obvious targets, such as the leisure, tourism and hospitality trades, so we would urge entrepreneurs to start thinking creatively now about the potential for their businesses."

The British response is in contrast to the enthusiasm in Beijing. Said Johns: "Prior to the start of the Beijing Olympics, Chinese companies supplying a huge array of goods and services were using the Games as a chance to bolster their businesses.

"These included suppliers of airconditioning, washing machines and beer for the Olympic media village, as well as the more prominent big-business sponsors and suppliers."

She added that entrepreneurs should remain open to ideas and "seek out more unusual business leads for their company".