SMALL Business Saturday, the nationwide campaign to support, inspire and promote the UK’s 5.5 million small businesses, is once again launching its iconic national bus tour to mark five years since the campaign was launched.
It is coming to Taunton on Tuesday November 21st from 10am-2pm when businesses will be able to learn about the new Small Business Saturday mentoring programme, supporting small businesses one-to- one, with advice directly from their peers.
Small Business Saturday is recruiting experienced business mentors in all locations and small businesses can sign up on the campaign website.
“I am delighted that Taunton will be one of just two Small Business Saturday Bus stops in the South West this year,” said Cllr Mark Edwards, Executive member for business development.
“This is a great chance for our many enterprising and enthusiastic small businesses to get first-hand advice from the experts – and to promote their business, too. I hope Taunton will climb aboard the bus and make the most of such a great opportunity.”
Also debuting this year is the “Small Business Saturday Blue Sofa” where interviews and exclusive Q&A sessions will be live streamed via Facebook Live.
Beginning at Dundee on October 23, the bus tour travels up and down the country before finishing in Brighton on November 24. The tour will provide advice and information to all small businesses as well as some hands-on activities for the public to promote local support for the campaign.
Small Business Saturday is the UK’s most successful small business campaign and is this year celebrating its fifth birthday year. Last year saw £717m spent with small businesses across the UK on Small Business Saturday, up 15% on the previous year. The campaign trended at number one in the UK on Twitter on the day with more than 130,000 campaign-related tweets being sent, reaching over 140 million
people globally.
Over 80% of local councils supported the campaign, meaning wherever you were on Small Business Saturday, there was something going on nearby.
“We have run the phenomenally popular Small Business Saturday bus tour since the campaign launched in the UK in 2013. Now it has grown to five weeks, we can reach a huge number of the UK’s small businesses to deliver mentoring, inspiration and much needed optimism to small businesses across the nation,” explains
Campaign Director Michelle Ovens.
“Small Business Saturday and the bus tour are open to everyone. Businesses on the high street or online, trading with other businesses or selling direct to consumers. It is open to every individual who can take this moment to support their local businesses, and it is open to public sector to both support and reflect on the huge value small businesses generate.”
Small Business Saturday, which is a grassroots, not-for- profit campaign, was originally founded by American Express in the U.S. in 2010 and it remains the principal supporter of the campaign in the UK, as part of its on-going commitment to encourage consumers to shop small. The campaign also benefits from the backing of leading business organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses and
Enterprise Nation. The campaign is also supported by Facebook, Dropbox, Mercedes Benz Vans, Indeed, Vistaprint, Lightspeed and ACCA.
Logos and posters are available to download from the website www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com and can be displayed online or on premises. Businesses around the country can also upload information to the ‘My Small Business Finder’ on the website (www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com) on what special events or promotional offers they will be running for Small Business Saturday.
More information on Small Business Saturday can also be found on the Small Business Saturday Facebook page (www.facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturdayuk) and Twitter feed (@SmallBizSatUk).
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