As Small Business Saturday announces its annual tour of Britain, it has also opened registrations for the next Small & Mighty Enterprise Programme.
A free online course lasting six weeks, the Small & Mighty Enterprise Programme is aimed at sole traders, micro businesses and small companies looking to grow with expert guidance and mentoring – and a plan to support the next year of opportunity.
The live two-hour weekly sessions, starting on September 25, will be recorded and available on a private SBS website for participants, with worksheets, development of a year’s actin plan, an hour of one-to-one and group mentoring, and CPD accreditation.
Details of this year’s SBS Tour have also been released, kicking off in Lossiemouth on 4 November to travel around the country for five weeks in the lead up to Small Business Saturday on December 7, visiting 21 towns and cities, and dropping in on small businesses such as independent greetings and gift shops, going behind the scenes to meet the people who own and run them.
Alongside shining a light on small businesses’ contribution to local communities and the wider UK economy, there’s a month of dedicated free online support including daily workshops and mentoring covering a wide range of relevant topics, as well as insight sessions with small firms and industry experts.
From Lossiemouth on November 4, the 3,000-mile trip in electric vehicles, sponsored by BT, goes to Dundee, Glasgow, Belfast, Chester, Newcastle, Darlington, Leeds, Lincoln, Nottingham, Northampton, Solihull, Swansea, Chippenham, Plymouth, Bournemouth, Brighton, Guildford, St Albans, and Ipswich before ending with three dates in London.
SBS director Michelle Ovens CBE said: “Small Business Saturday has always been about supporting and celebrating the UK’s fantastic entrepreneurs and the amazing contribution they make to local communities all across the UK.
“Small businesses sit at the heart of communities, forming the cornerstone of local economies. This is why we are visiting these communities in person with The Tour. We’re really excited about this next phase and the chance to shine an important light on fabulous small businesses all across the UK, bringing to life their brilliant and unique stories and impact.”
Chris Sims, BT’s MD for small and medium enterprise, added: “The Tour is a brilliant way for small businesses across the country to get tailored support around growing their capability for the future. We are delighted to be supporting this effort once again, through our Skills for Tomorrow offering, which has helped over one million entrepreneurs grow their small businesses with free digital skills training.”
Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which celebrates small business success and encourages consumers to shop local and support companies in their communities.
Running for over a decade, the campaign is backed by principal supporter American Express and has engaged millions and seen £billions spent with small businesses across the UK on Small Business Saturday.
