he Small Business Saturday team has announced that this year’s event – which places the UK’s 5.2 million small businesses in the national spotlight – will take place on Saturday December 5th. This year’s strapline will be “5 million small businesses, one big day”.
Now entering its third year Small Business Saturday is already the UK’s most successful small business campaign. Last year 16.5 million adults went out to support a small business on Small Business Saturday with 64 per cent of the UK aware of the campaign. The UK’s small businesses between them provide 60 per cent of private sector jobs and nearly 50% of private sector turnover.
As with previous years, events will be planned throughout the UK in the run-up to and on Small Business Saturday itself, including an expanded nationwide bus tour, details of which will be announced later in the year. Small businesses will once again be encouraged to get involved and create special events themselves to mark the day.
The build-up will begin on April 1st when the Small Business Saturday team kicks off Inspire, a series of free workshops around the country led by prominent small business experts and entrepreneurs. These will be free to attend and will also be streamed live online. Webcasts will also be available on the Small Business Saturday YouTube channel after each event.
The experts will be giving talks and leading workshops open to any existing and aspiring small businesses and entrepreneurs. The series will be informal and participatory and each talk will be followed by a Q&A session. Each event will include a live Twitter Q& to allow for digital participation for those who cannot make the talks in person.
Those giving the workshops include Shake Social, Nottingham’s premier social media agency who will be showing small businesses how to set themselves ahead of their competition with exceptional customer service via social media. Other workshops will include ‘Dare to Dream’ by Freelance Mum in Bristol, an aspirational workshop aimed at mums wanting to go into business and taking that leap; ‘Strategies for High Growth Management’ from Awesome Merchandise in Leeds, Amanda Ruiz who will be giving tips on how small businesses can handle their own press and PR and Tina Boden from Enterprise Rockers will be hosting a panel of Yorkshire and Humber-based small businesses to explore the benefits of collaboration.
Michelle Ovens, National Campaign Director for Small Business Saturday UK, said: “Last year, small business owners, local authorities, a wide range of other organisations and members of the public really embraced Small Business Saturday. It succeeded because people recognised the importance of having a vibrant and successful small business sector and not only came out on the day itself but got involved in the run-up to it in their local communities. We will mobilise that support again this year to achieve our ambition of putting small businesses at the centre of everyone’s lives.”
