A no-nonsense, tough talking, champion of small businesses Amanda Vigar has thrown down the gauntlet in support of SMEs.
Amanda Vigar, who writes a hard-hitting blog as the Business Battle-axe (http://businessbattle-axe.blogspot.co.uk) has issued a call to action in the lead up to ‘Small Business Saturday UK’.
‘Small Business Saturday UK’, a grassroots campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ and support small businesses in their locality, will take place onDecember 5.
Amanda, Managing Partner at tax and business advisers V&A Vigar & Co (Darlington) LLP, based in the town’s Victoria Road,said: “Small business are the backbone of the UK’s economy and it is important that that their role in society is celebrated and recognised.
“Not only do they provide services and goods to their local communities, but also make a significant contribution to the country’s wealth and employment figures.
“The initiative is all about getting local people to come and support small businesses in their neighbourhood, and I am throwing down the gauntlet to both small businesses and residents to show their support for Small Business Saturday.”
Amanda, who specialises in supporting small and owner-managed business, is putting her money where her mouth is in support of Small Business Saturday.
She said: “We will be offering free consultations on December 5 to all small businesses on a host of different topics, ranging from accounting and taxation to company secretarial services, from our staff of experienced accountants and business planners. Any that become clients will get 10% off their first year fee.”
According to the Federation of Small Businesses, at the start of 2015, small firms accounted for 99.3 per cent of all private sector businesses in the UK, 48 per cent of private sector employment and 33 per cent of private sector turnover. Small and medium sized businesses employed 15.6 million people and had a combined turnover of £1.75 trillion.
The Small Business Saturday UK campaign was launched in 2013.
According to its research on the 2014 event, 16.5 million people shopped in a small independent business on the day, representing a 20 percent increase in footfall on 2013 or 2.7 million more shoppers, and 64 percent of UK consumers were aware of the day, a 33 percent increase on 2013.
There were more than 3.5 million Facebook views, #SmallBizSatUK trended at number one all day and 55 percent of Local Authorities and hundreds of MPs supported the campaign.
For more information, or to book a free consultation, contact Sue Gudgeon at V&A Vigar & Co (Darlington) LLP on 01325 526490, or email:susan.gudgeon@vigargroup.com
For more information about Small Business Saturday UK, visit www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturdayUK or you can follow Small Business Saturday on Twitter @SmallBizSatUK.