During the summer I was invited to spend the day in Ashford’s Park Mall to take a look around the independent shops and cafès. They had laid on workshops for a small group of us. I took Daniel and we had a lovely time. I really enjoyed the entrepreneurial spirit of the small business owners, and the individuality and creativity they showed. Here’s a vlog I made of the day out we had – I tried out some knitting, made a paper potted succulent and had some delicious cake! Daniel helped me out with that of course. He loved chasing the pigeons and running around.
It’s the business owners and people like that who keep Britain going. With our post Brexit economy, are small businesses feeling confident? Despite months of widespread fear and uncertainty following British voters’ decision to leave the EU, it seems that UK small business remain largely hopeful. Whilst widespread doom and gloom has been portrayed around Brexit in the media, research from Boost Capital shows that the perception of one of the biggest political events of our time may not be as disastrous as first thought. Boost Capital interviewed 500 UK small businesses in association with OnePoll and revealed that 90% of respondents stated that they didn’t regret their vote in the Brexit referendum earlier this year. In the face of a nation awaiting the triggering of Article 50 (the formal legal process of Britain leaving the EU), 43% of small business owners do not believe that their businesses will be affected by Brexit in the next 12 months, whilst nearly half (48%) of respondents stated that they were expecting no impact on their businesses over the next five years. Let’s hope that these statistics play out and we can all remain confident in our economy. Either way I know that UK business owners have that fighting spirit to make it work and adapt.
I like to support local small businesses where possible, especially small Mum-run ones. I had an amazing facial last night from a lady who works from home, Simply Be Cosmetics, it was lovely. If a friend has a small business selling gifts or make up I’ll buy from them when I need bits and bobs. Those independent shops are usually family run and supporting them always feels good. Competing on price is hard, but if they have a unique selling point, ie they’re hand made or totally different to what you can buy in a chain store then all the better. That’s why I love Etsy, the online marketplace for handmade and craft items. You can get amazing works of art or handcrafted homeware, and you know not many others will have the same. If you haven’t discovered it already, bookmark Etsy for future reference. The bonus is you’re also supporting a small business to keep going. My friend has an Etsy shop, Heidi Griffiths Art – she is so talented and her prints and name portraits are gorgeous.
Who are your favourite small businesses? Do you run one? Will Brexit affect your business?
Disclosure: This post is in collaboration with Boost Capital. The Brexit survey was conducted at the end of October 2016 with 500 respondents across from small businesses across the UK. Survey conducted by One Poll and commissioned by Boost Capital. Boost Capital is a leading provider of business financing solutions to growing businesses.
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