Campaign Shop Independent: helping small businesses sparkle this Christmas

It’s been a bleak year for the economy. But as we wave goodbye (and good riddance) to 2020, it’s the perfect time for Three Means Business to help small businesses sparkle brighter than ever.

As a follow up to the hugely successful SME:SOS,  Holly & Co are launching Campaign Shop Independent 2020. This initiative is back with a bang for the 4th year running, and entrepreneurs throughout the UK can rely on the awesome Holly Tucker, MBE to champion their unique creativity and passion once again.

Founder of Notonthehighstreet and Holly & Co, Holly is perfectly placed to advise, guide, mentor, and fly the flag for independents everywhere. And we’re incredibly excited to be a key partner of this winter’s SME celebration.

A difficult year is now behind us, but there’s a sense of uncertainty as we head into the new year. So, it’s never been more relevant to get behind local, independent business owners.

Holly’s mission is to shine a light on creative small businesses across the UK. So, she’s empowering them with the tools and inspiration they need right now to encourage people to shop local this Christmas. Here’s what Holly has to say:

“In an unprecedented year, as the world stopped, people left their offices and went home to their families. Some were busy dreaming, some were building their businesses from their kitchen tables, and many others strived to keep their doors open to serve their local communities. As a champion of small business for nearly 20 years, I’ve been in awe of the strength, determination, adaptability, and resilience that these founders have shown. I’ve also been so encouraged by the consumer appetite for consuming more than ever from small and independent British businesses. It’s this combination of resilience and consumer appetite, alongside the colour that small businesses bring to our world, that I truly believe the future of small is incredibly bright. It’s my greatest honour to lead this campaign and awards to shine a light on this most creative and deserved of communities.”

Small businesses make up 99.9% of private sector businesses. Remarkably, with the Coronavirus backdrop, almost 50% more businesses were created in June 2020 than in June 2019. Many of us finally launched that plan B, and the uncertainty has inspired the UK to realise their business aspirations. In July 2020, a record number of 81,000 businesses were registered with HMRC.

Campaign Shop Independent 2020 spans the length and breadth of the country. And there are numerous ways small businesses and conscious consumers can get involved.

If you run your own business, make sure you download a Campaign Shop Independent kit from holly.co. It gives you all the tools you need to spread the message for consumers to support independent businesses like yours this Christmas.

Spread the message far and wide by sharing it on your website and social media channels, using the assets provided. And nominate your local town to receive exclusive Shop Independent merchandise. Plus, don’t forget to tune in to Holly Tucker’s weekly Campaign Shop Independent Show on IGTV for all the latest updates and news.

As part of the wider campaign, Holly & Co has launched the Independent Awards 2020 to showcase and recognise the very best small, creative businesses across the UK. Three are backing this initiative alongside NatWest, Dell, Royal Mail, and Pinterest.

Although it’s the very first year for the Independent Awards 2020, the launch has had a massive impact within the SME community and they’re already the largest small business awards in the UK. Designed to showcase the very best in creative independents – whether they’re online or offline, in shops or in studios – the largest cash prize for any UK small business awards is up for grabs. That’s a whopping £70,000. And we’ve already had 300,000 community nominations.

“As a small business champion for so many years, I consistently see such incredible talent, which I knew, more than ever, needed a platform to shine.  Not only have small businesses faced the biggest challenges of all this year, but COVID has also marked a huge shift in the way the consumer wants to shop. More than any other year, consumers are eager to shop small, support those building from the kitchen table, who are local, have purpose, passion, and individual creativity. My hope is that these annual awards will both champion small businesses just at the moment they so desperately need it, but also shine a light on the colour and creativity that small businesses bring to our lives and society.”

Holly & Co will announce the Independent Awards 2020 nominees on 19 November. You can then get voting for your winners until 3 December and finalists will be announced on 8 December. As well as the public vote, Holly will be joined by an expert judging panel of small business champions at the virtual live awards ceremony on 17 December where the winners will be chosen.

To find out more about the Independent Awards 2020 or how to vote, follow @hollytucker on Instagram or visit www.holly.co.

It’s easy to be a part of Campaign Shop Independent 2020. Join the campaign yourself, cast your vote in our awards, and above all support small businesses by shopping independent this Christmas.