2017 marks the 14th anniversary of Small Business Advice Week (SBAW).  Small and medium sized businesses make up 99% of all businesses in the UK, but with international conglomerates constantly grabbing the headlines, SBAW is shining the light on the unsung backbone of the UK economy.

With Article 50 sending shockwaves through the industry, more than ever SMEs need advice on how to optimise their enterprises. 92% of the UK’s SMEs are trading within the EU single market,[1] and over a fifth (21%) of Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) members employ EU citizens within the UK[2], making this a pivotal moment for many of these businesses.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants for England and Wales (ICAEW) will be hosting the highly-anticipated SBAW seminar on Wednesday 30th August, with industry leaders providing insight and advice to the UK’s SME sector.

Clive Lewis from ICAEW explains “This year we have partnered with Small Business Advice Week to provide support and assurance to SMEs across the UK. We will be providing insight and advice into all things accountancy, showing you don’t need a team of in-house accountants to maximise the financial efficiency of your business.”

With over 50% of SMEs using some form of cloud based software, and online growth becoming a priority, Barracuda Networks has partnered with SBAW to provide support to business owners who are journeying into the unknown when it comes to business tech. Barracuda has commented, “With so much on the line, and malicious software around every corner, we are delighted to be part of the solution when it comes to keeping SMEs secure online.”

9 Spokes will also be partnering with Small Business Advice Week, they enable SMEs to connect their software to one dynamic interface to give them a clear overview of their business. CEO Mark Estall comments, “Helping small businesses to find and use tools to manage their businesses effectively is core to what we do and essential for growth. We’re looking forward to being part of SBAW and working with small businesses across the UK.”

RateSetter is a peer-to-peer lending platform which has lent more than £400m to British businesses. The platform gives SMEs a decision in principle within 2 hours for loans up to £100k and within 24 hours for loans above £100k. RateSetter’s Paul Marston said: “At Ratesetter we are immensely proud to provide guidance and support to SMEs daily, and we are looking forward to discussing the finance options available to the UK’s Small Business economy.”

XLN’s Founder and CEO, Christian Nellemann, added: “As a business that’s worked with more than 250,000 small businesses, we have a good idea of what can help them to grow. We’ve partnered with Small Business Advice Week to share that knowledge. We’ll be looking at practical, usable tips – everything from cutting costs to marketing on a budget.”

Small Business Advice Week runs from the 4th -10th of September. Current partners available to provide advice and support to SMEs across the UK are: