Why everyone should be backing Small Business Saturday

Just a month to go until Small Business Saturday and UK small firms are gearing up for a mega sales push as celebrities such as model Daisy Lowe throw their support behind the day 

 

Businesses across the UK are gearing up for the second annual Small Business Saturday, taking place on December 6. The day-long event, which is supported by all political parties, was launched to shine a spotlight on the nation’s 4.9m small and medium-sized companies and encourage consumers to switch their shop from a chain to an independent business.

Small Business Saturday (SBS) originated in the States, where it is in its fifth year. In 2013, consumers in the US spent $5.7bn (£3.6bn) with independent merchants on the day. Last year in the UK, small companies earned £460m, and the organisers hope to raise that figure significantly this year.

SBS has attracted the support of business groups including the Federation of Small Businesses, the Association of Town and City Management, Association of Convenience Stores, and the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association. To raise further awareness of the event, a Small Business Saturday bus tour of the UK will start in Leeds on November 17, stopping at 12 locations.

While 40pc of local authorities backed the first campaign, Michelle Ovens, who runs SBS in the UK, predicts that almost 100pc will be involved this December. Amersham town council, for example, is helping local small businesses through a day-long Christmas showcase in Amersham-on-the Hill. To add some celebrity sparkle, Peter Blake, the artist who created the sleeve design for The Beatles album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, has been drafted in to create a piece of celebratory art featuring UK small businesses.

Daisy Lowe, the model, will lend her support to the campaign by appearing at a yet unnamed an independent shop on Small Business Saturday, while the award-winning filmmaker, Heidi Greensmith, recorded footage of three independent shops to create the short film Saturday.

Businesses across the UK are gearing up for the second annual Small Business Saturday, taking place on December 6. The day-long event, which is supported by all political parties, was launched to shine a spotlight on the nation’s 4.9m small and medium-sized companies and encourage consumers to switch their shop from a chain to an independent business.

Small Business Saturday (SBS) originated in the States, where it is in its fifth year. In 2013, consumers in the US spent $5.7bn (£3.6bn) with independent merchants on the day. Last year in the UK, small companies earned £460m, and the organisers hope to raise that figure significantly this year.

SBS has attracted the support of business groups including the Federation of Small Businesses, the Association of Town and City Management, Association of Convenience Stores, and the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association. To raise further awareness of the event, a Small Business Saturday bus tour of the UK will start in Leeds on November 17, stopping at 12 locations.

While 40pc of local authorities backed the first campaign, Michelle Ovens, who runs SBS in the UK, predicts that almost 100pc will be involved this December. Amersham town council, for example, is helping local small businesses through a day-long Christmas showcase in Amersham-on-the Hill. To add some celebrity sparkle, Peter Blake, the artist who created the sleeve design for The Beatles album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, has been drafted in to create a piece of celebratory art featuring UK small businesses.

Daisy Lowe, the model, will lend her support to the campaign by appearing at a yet unnamed an independent shop on Small Business Saturday, while the award-winning filmmaker, Heidi Greensmith, recorded footage of three independent shops to create the short film Saturday.


11 ways to get the best out of Small Business Saturday
1. Put posters and stickers up in your windows; download the digital pack from the website and use the logo and banners on your website and social networks.
2. Share your pictures of your business decked out in Small Business Saturday posters on Twitter with the #SmallBizSatUk tag and tag your local region.
3. Download the Small Business Saturday free social media guide from the website for tips on how to make the most of social media and Small Business Saturday.
4. Speak to your local authority and encourage them to support the campaign in your local community – find out if they have anything planned yet that you can get involved in.
5. Speak to other small businesses in your community and networks and encourage them to get involved.
6. Host an event on December 6 (or the week preceding that Saturday if you don’t operate on a Saturday).
7. Encourage consumers through the door/online by offering promotions, cups of tea, mince pies, bands/music, anything that demonstrates that this is a day to celebrate and get involved in.
8. Write to your local councillor and MP and encourage them to pop down to see your event.
9. Contact your local press and make them aware of how you are making the most of Small Business Saturday. Use the campaign as a great PR opportunity for your business!
10. Look at where you can support other small businesses, e.g. in your supply chain.
11. Tell your friends, neighbours, schools – everyone you know – that Small Business Saturday is happening, that you are supporting it and they should too. Spread the word on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #SmallBizSatUK