Indie Business Live celebrates UKs 5.82m small businesses

Celebrities, business owners and the public recently came together for Indie Business Live, an online festival to celebrate and support the UKs 5.82m small businesses.

Founded by TV business and consumer expert Kate Hardcastle MBE, the online event featured star guests including Eamonn Holmes, Carol Smillie, Rory Bremner, Sally Lindsay, Amanda Byram and Hannah Cockroft MBE.

They shared why small businesses were important to them, championing their local favourites, from Rory Bremner’s local theatre, to Sally Lindsay’s local shops. Eamonn Holmes highlighted how he often feels like, ‘a person rather than a number’ when dealing with a small business, with many business owners subsequently taking to Twitter to thank him for his support and appreciation.

The event was streamed online via social channels and went live to small businesses across the UK, celebrating those who’d gone above and beyond to serve their customers and communities.

Its focus was on bringing all types and sizes of businesses together, from all regions and this came to life for Dan Ford, a plumber from Nottinghamshire, who, when furloughed set up Hearts for Hope, selling copper piping hearts to thousands of pounds for local charities. When Yorkshire plumbers merchant chain Duftons, heard about his fundraising efforts through Indie Business Live, they got in touch and gifted him a ‘goody bag’ for all his efforts.

Indie Business Live founder Kate Hardcastle comments: “After chatting with my team just four weeks ago about how we might help small businesses on a wider scale, beyond the free mentoring we were already giving, we’ve engaged thousands of businesses and brought together partners from every sector, providing not only a celebration but a voice to truly represent all small businesses.

“We’ve had phenomenal support from our guests (who all gave their time for free), businesses, the public and MPs. This shows just how much our small businesses matter and how we won’t let them disappear as a result of the pandemic.”

Following the success of the event, Indie Business Live will be back on Thursday 26th November.