Saturday 5 December was Small Business Saturday, a day which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ and support small businesses in their communities.
The first Small Business Saturday UK took place on the 7th December 2013, and this year I was delighted to take part in the 2015 event on Saturday. This year I began the day meeting with the local branch of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) at I Dig Dinos on Rochester High Street. I Dig Dinos is a small, family run business with an emphasis on affordable fossils. It was a great experience for me to meet the staff of the shop and hear the successes and challenges of a small business in the heart of our community.
After meeting with the staff at I Dig Dinos and other small businesses in the local area I joined the FSB at Rochester Library to talk with some local Young Enterprise members. Young Enterprise is the UK’s leading charity that empowers young people to harness their personal and business skills. They make business relevant to the daily lives of young people, and their programmes spark energy and enthusiasm, helping young people to discover their individual talents and achieve what they thought was impossible. They also offer practical programmes, from one day masterclasses to year-long projects to help young people develop skills they cannot learn from a textbook.
It is important to remember that Small Business Saturday is not just about one day. Rather, it is about maintaining awareness, support and momentum for our small businesses, whether they be on the high street or in our cities, as each of them provide a crucial role in our economy. It would be noticeable without them and most certainly not for the better.
I hope you will all join with me in supporting our small businesses across Medway over the months to come.