Get involved with our #ThinkSelfEmployed campaign

Last week saw the launch our #ThinkSelfEmployed campaign with your #selfemployedselfies which had us trending all day on Twitter with huge numbers of you tweeting selfies and positive messages about self-employment. We also released our Campaign Agenda for action which identifies a range of measures that Government and policymakers should take to make life easier for the nations existing 4.8 million self-employed and encourage others to swell their ranks. You can also feature as a case study as part of the campaign. If you’re interested, please contact Ray Abrahams

FSB modernises local make-up

At the very heart of everything the FSB do, is its commitment to supporting grassroots members and lobbying to affect change at the local level to the benefit of the small business community. Over the past few months, the FSB has been working with its members to look at its current boundaries across the Regions and Areas and how relevant these are to the external world. As such we have made some minor changes across England to better represent bodies of members to local stakeholders by grouping our boundaries across Local Authority areas. Local Authorities remain the primary local unit of political executive power, which FSB members want to influence making this an absolute must for FSB to look at and address. These changes futureproof FSB by ensuring that it can continue to be at the heart of local debate and decision making and represent its members in a robust and meaningful way. For a full list of the breakdown of Local Authorities covered by FSB Regions and Areas click here.

Chichester Council business survey

Have your say on how the council can support your business by taking part in their survey.

Visit FSB at Chichester Business Expo – 19 July 2018
Three engaging keynote speakers from 07:45 – 09:45 (pre-registration required), followed by The Business Trade Show, 10:00 – 15:00 at Chichester College with 40+ exhibitors from across Sussex. More information here.

Had a dispute with your bank?

Kingston University’s Small Business Research Centre is conducting research into small firms’ disputes with banks. The research focuses on disputes that have been unable to be resolved by the banks own complaints procedures. UK Finance would like to interview business owners who have taken their dispute beyond their banks internal complaints processes in the past three years, including those that have been resolved or are still active. Find about more about the research here

Small Business Saturday teams up with iDEA

Small Business Saturday is partnering with iDEa awards to bring small businesses free online training and community support for entrepreneurs. Small Business Saturday will be celebrating the achievements of small businesses taking part in the iDEA programme throughout the year with special content – get involved here.