The UK’s small businesses were given a big boost by Small Business Saturday’s roadshow, when it toured the length and breadth of the UK at the end of 2022 giving free business support and mentoring, and highlighting the dynamism and diversity of the UK’s entrepreneurial community.
Once again supported by BT Skills for Tomorrow, ‘The Tour’ travelled to 23 towns and cities - including Helmsley, Fife, Belfast, and Merthyr Tydfil - meeting around 200 small businesses and spotlighting them on social media, as the iconic campaign marked ten years in the UK.
Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which celebrates small businesses and encourages consumers to 'shop local' and to support businesses in their communities. Research from American Express, the campaign’s principal supporter in the UK, showed that £774m was spent in small businesses nationwide on the day.
The Tour, which kicked off in Glasgow saw the Small Business Saturday team travel over 2000 miles to visit small business communities all over the UK. The team got involved in a huge array of day-to-day typical small business activities, from making bath bombs in Grimsby and candles in Glasgow, to joining a chocolate workshop on the Wirral and having facials in Belfast.
“We had so much fun showing off what we do and letting The Tour team experience some of our treatments live on camera”, said Jennie Wallace, owner of Beyond Skin Clinic in Belfast.
“It's really important for small businesses like us to take the opportunity to showcase our work to a wider audience and share our story. We love connecting with other businesses and learning from each other's experiences. Being part of the Small Business Saturday community has opened up conversations and relationships with other business owners across the UK and we love to keep those connections going.”
And with sustainability and energy saving high on the agenda for small firms, ‘The Tour’ featured a fleet of environmentally friendly vehicles - including an electric van and ‘delivery style’ push bike – that reflect the sustainable switches many small business owners are making, whilst also highlighting the vital role small firms play in the race to net zero.
“It is great to see the massive impact that The Tour had on local communities,” said Michelle Ovens CBE, Director of Small Business Saturday. “Small businesses are in the midst of an incredibly tough period so it was great to highlight the amazing contribution they make to local areas at a time when they really need it the most.”
“It’s clear that the UK remains a great place to start and build a business and that the general public's affection for small businesses not only continues, but grows year on year. As we celebrate a decade of Small Business Saturday, once more we see small businesses shining a beacon of hope for our economy."
Alongside the chance to join in with the physical roadshow, small businesses from across the country also benefitted from hundreds of free online mentoring spots with business coaches and experts, as well as dozens of daily workshops on a range of relevant topics, from sales and digital marketing, to finance and productivity. There were also opportunities for entrepreneurs to tell their stories and network on Small Business Saturday’s social media channels, as well as to win prizes from small businesses during a daily Happy Hour.
“The Tour is a brilliant way for small businesses across the country to gain support in digital skills and grow their capability for the future. We were delighted to support it again through our Skills for Tomorrow offering. During this tough economic situation, it’s important that we give small businesses the support they need, so it is great to see the major impact the Tour has made,” said Chris Sims, BT’s Managing Director for Small and Medium Enterprise.
