Media Information

Small businesses across the UK are being offered a big boost of free business support to help them deal with the current economic challenges, as Small Business Saturday unveils a major programme of online mentoring and training during November as part of its ten-year celebrations.

Business owners across the country are being encouraged to sign up for the campaign’s jampacked programme of virtual workshops and one-to-one mentoring, which forms part of Small Business Saturday’s nationwide roadshow.

Supported by BT Skills for Tomorrow, ‘The Tour’ will be travelling to 23 locations across the country to profile small businesses from 31 October. It will also be offering over 20 free digital workshops delivered by leading experts, along with hundreds of free online coaching spots with experienced business mentors.

Small business from anywhere in the country can sign up for workshops on a range of useful topics, from sales and digital marketing, to managing time and money, including:

• How to promote your brand for free
• 5 ways to use PR to attract more customers this Christmas
• Sales made easy
• Quick tips to get you cyber secure
• Creating a rock-solid business plan for 2023
• How to be more productive with your time

And to make this learning even more fun for small businesses, those attending at least ten workshops will be rewarded with a large luxury candle from Scottish candlemaker Jo Macfarlane in time for Christmas.

There will also be opportunities for entrepreneurs to tell their stories and network on Small Business Saturday’s social media channels.

A Small Business Happy Hour, featuring giveaways from local businesses will also be open to all to enter each weekday at noon.

"Small Business Saturday has always been about supporting and celebrating the UK’s fantastic entrepreneurs," said Michelle Ovens CBE, director of Small Business Saturday UK.

"This package of support is intended to give small firms a major boost as they face a barrage of challenges from all angles this winter."

Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which celebrates small business success and encourages consumers to 'shop local' and to support businesses in their communities. The iconic campaign takes place on 3 December this year and is marking its tenth year in the UK, with principal supporter American Express.

"Once again small businesses are facing another challenging year and having to think strategically in order to succeed," said Chris Sims, BT’s Managing Director for Small and Medium Enterprise.

"Earlier this year BT launched a new customer Charter with a commitment to step up free digital skills training for small businesses and working with partners such as Small Business Saturday on initiatives like The Tour is an important route to deliver this."

"It’s a brilliant way for small businesses across the country to gain support in digital skills and grow their capability for the future. We’re delighted to be supporting The Tour again this year."

To book onto the workshops, small businesses should visit smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/the-tour or click on to the links in the schedule below.

Mentoring slots can be booked via the My Small Business section of the Small Business Saturday website, where small firms can login or create a profile, and click on "The Tour 2022" tab smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/my-small-business.

This year’s most inspirational British small businesses have been revealed by the Small Business Saturday campaign, as it marks its ten-year anniversary with a call for the public to support small businesses in the community and shop small.

Baby group booking platform Happity and online butcher The Black Farmer founded by Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones MBE, are among 100 small businesses profiled in this year’s SmallBiz100 line-up, which showcases the best of Britain’s vibrant small business community.

Now in its tenth year in the UK Small Business Saturday will return on 3 December 2022, with a mission to support and celebrate the UK’s 5.6 million small businesses, particularly as they face mounting economic challenges over the winter.

"The fantastic small businesses featured in this year’s SmallBiz100 sum up the extraordinary contribution that small firms make to our economy and local areas," said Michelle Ovens CBE, Director of Small Business Saturday UK.

"We brought Small Business Saturday to the UK ten years ago as there was a huge need to celebrate the amazing achievements of the fantastic small business community and offer them support through a raft of challenges, and this mission could not be truer or more vital today."

"With small businesses facing incredibly tough times, and many still recovering from the pandemic, it is absolutely critical that the nation gets behind these businesses."

Business from the SmallBiz100 line-up will be placed under the campaign’s national spotlight each day as part of the official 100-day countdown to Small Business Saturday.

And first to be featured is Chester-based cocktail bar and eatery The Suburbs, founded by Kingdom Thenga who also runs a string of other local ventures and has taken a lead on community initiatives during the Covid-19 crisis and the Ukraine humanitarian appeal.

"We’re thrilled to be recognised in the Small Biz 100,” said Thenga. “It is an extremely tough time for small businesses and having support from the community really means a lot. Being highlighted by a positive campaign that celebrates all the wonderful things about being an entrepreneur is such an incredible boost for me and my team."

Also included in the line-up of small businesses are Dorset based ice-cream maker Baboo Gelato, Glasgow furniture restorer Lady Griddlebone Vintage Originals and Monmouthshire compostable packaging supplier The Pure Option.

A grassroots, not-for-profit campaign, Small Business Saturday first came to the UK in 2013 has grown into an iconic campaign celebrating small business success and encouraging consumers to 'shop local' and support businesses in their communities.

The campaign was originally founded by American Express in the U.S. in 2010, and the company remains the principal supporter of the campaign in the UK.

On Small Business Saturday customers across the UK go out and support all types of small businesses, from independent shops and restaurants to small service and b2b based businesses like accountants and digital marketeers. Many small businesses take an active role in promoting the day by hosting events and offering promotions.

Over the time the campaign has run in the UK it has engaged millions each year, with spend on the day topping over £1 billion.

Small Business Saturday attracts huge attention on the day itself, with an impact that lasts all year. Last year the campaign trended at number one in the UK on Twitter, with the Prime Minister, leader of the opposition and the Mayor of London among those publicly supporting the campaign. Over 90% of local councils also supported the campaign.

Dan Edelman, General Manager, UK Merchant Services at American Express said: “This year’s SmallBiz100 showcases the dynamism and determination at the heart of the UK’s small businesses. We’re proud to champion them through Small Business Saturday as well as our Shop Small campaign, returning this winter, which incentivises our Cardmembers to spend with local independent venues, right across the country. This year we’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of this vital campaign and look forward to shining a spotlight on small businesses and the dedicated people running them."

To get involved in Small Business Saturday UK visit smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com

The nation’s most loved independents have a chance to be put on the map, as the Small Business Saturday campaign announces plans to mark its ten-year anniversary with a special celebratory roadshow.

Business owners across the country are being encouraged to sign up to get involved, as the campaign gears up to shine a massive spotlight on small firms in every corner of the UK, by visiting over 20 towns and cities this autumn, alongside a digital programme of support and mentoring.

Supported by BT, ‘The Tour’ will kick-off in Glasgow, going on to visit small businesses in locations including Fife, York, Cardiff, and Padstow throughout November, before finishing in London in the run up to Small Business Saturday on 3 December.

Alongside the physical roadshow, the campaign will also offer a jam-packed daily schedule of online content – including free workshops and mentoring covering a vast range of relevant topics, as well as interviews with small businesses and experts.

“Small Business Saturday has always been about supporting and celebrating the UK’s fantastic entrepreneurs, and never has this been more important as they face a barrage of challenges this winter,” said Michelle Ovens CBE, and director of Small Business Saturday UK.

“We can’t wait to get back on the road with ‘The Tour’, to spotlight these brilliant and unique small businesses, whilst also offering them vital support in-person and online.”

With sustainability and energy saving high on the agenda for small firms, ‘The Tour’ will once again feature a fleet of electric and zero emissions vehicles that reflect the sustainable switches many small business owners are making in their daily lives, whilst also highlighting the vital role small firms play in the race to net zero.

“Once again small businesses are facing another challenging year and having to think strategically in order to succeed,” said Chris Sims, BT’s managing director for its SoHo (Single/Small office, Home office) unit.

“Earlier this year BT launched a new customer Charter with a commitment to step up free digital skills training for small businesses and working with partners such as Small Business Saturday on initiatives like The Tour is an important route to deliver this.”

“It’s a brilliant way for small businesses across the country to gain support in digital skills and grow their capability for the future. We’re delighted to be supporting The Tour again this year.”

Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which celebrates small business success and encourages consumers to 'shop local' and to support businesses in their communities. The iconic campaign is celebrating its tenth year in the UK this year, with principal supporter American Express.

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