Together we are mighty: how 2023 can be a good year for micro businesses

By Tony Robinson OBE

Before Christmas, Lord Young of Graffham died at 90 … and on February 1 2023, ‘The Micro Business Alliance in England’ is being launched. These two even ts are related.

In the early 1980s, Lord Young introduced the Enterprise Agency movement. By the mid-90s, when I became vice-president of the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies, there were over 150.

There is a handful now.

Lord Young also introduced the Enterprise Allowance Scheme (EAS), which guaranteed £40 a week for people moving from unemployment to self-employment for up to a year.

Paltry government support for selfemployed careers and no help for ALL start-ups has existed since 2010. Only high-growth start-ups and scaleups, investor or loan backed, are now supported.

This policy misses the benefits to our nation in sustainability, innovation, new job creation, positive community impact and growing local economies.

But good news for 2023 … Hull and the Yorkshire Coast will continue to provide better support to replace what Lord Young initiated.

Test trading grants and test trading micro-loans are available. Test trading, bootstrapping, and Big 13 Enterprise Skills learning are more important than business planning.

The enterprise educators, advisers and mentors are of the highest quality.

Hull Youth Enterprise Partnership, the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank and Yorkshire in Business (YIB) have shown that 80%+ properly supported start-ups can survive the first three years of trading. Silicon Valley’s survival rate is 10%, and 6% of those surviving will be higher growth, employing businesses.

Yorkshire in Business which I cochair, supports business along the Yorkshire Coast. It was one of the early Enterprise Agencies but is reborn, modern and entrepreneurial.

It provides managed workspace in five buildings and a menu of business services, including 5* free start-up support.

In spring 2022, Jenn Crowther, CEO, and her team ran the first #MicroBizMatters Festival attended by the Small Business Commissioner and the Shadow Business Secretary.

YIB has a high street café, The Grind, with 30 pop-up shops supporting micro business owners. More entrepreneurial ventures are on the way.

YIB will run its annual Inspiring Women event and at least 23 of my ‘Be More Happipreneur Shows’ for enterprising people and leaders in Yorkshire towns.

The 3-day #MicroBizMatters Festival in Spring 2024 will bring indie business owners from over the UK and Ireland to Scarborough.

Charles Cracknell’s teams in the City of Hull, including the Hull Youth Enterprise Partnership, John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank and MC4C, run a world-beating Global

Entrepreneurship Week. The week showcases their year-long activities, learning and awards for all their young enterprising people from primary school upwards.

Hull has a #microbizmatters strategy. Other Cities should follow their lead. We made a film (on my YouTube channel) on why Hull is the most Enterprising City in the World.

The Micro Business Alliance will:

• Ensure the government recognises the benefits of backing micro business owners and all startups and develops policies so they can survive and thrive

• Ensure that the three million selfemployed people excluded from income support during covid never happens again.

• Be led by Ian Cass, CEO of the Forum of Private Business. He can make my campaigns happen

- such as reducing unavoidable costs, improving cash flow (e.g. #payin30days or less), cutting the regulatory compliance burden and increasing support for the first eighteen months of trading

• Launch with organisational members, representing at least 1.2 million engaged micro business owners.

Tony Robinson OBE:

5* Book "The Happipreneur" & Show "Be More Happipreneur".

Co-Chair of Yorkshire in Business Limited

Patron, John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank

Director, Organisation for Responsible Businesses

The #MicroBizMatters Champion

Author (poetry, fiction and non fiction)

Campaigns: #PayIn30Days;

5.7M #MicroBizMatters; 3M #ExcludedUK

Website & Contact: https:// TonyRobinsonOBE.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube. com/c/TonyRobinsonOBE/ videos

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Anthony_Charles_ Robinson