Small businesses are making big money for the UK economy, according to a study of the cities with the best potential for SMEs. Some £16 billion will be generated annually by the British cities which have the best growth prospects for SMEs, with more than 200,000 jobs created by 2020 in the UK economy, according to a report by npower Business and Capital Economics.
Bristol is a key SME city for the UK economy
SMEs are already keeping more than half of people in the UK in work, with 16.8 million people clocking in to one daily.
This size business accounts for almost four fifths of the increase in private sector employment since 2010, contributing significantly to the UK economy and employment growth.
Capital Economics expects the British economy to grow at an average of around 2 per cent over the next five years, despite the dampened national growth forecasts following the recent vote to leave the EU.
The npower Business SME Growth Forecast Index has identified the City of London, Bristol, Leeds, Birmingham, Brighton and Hove, and Manchester as the cities with best potential for SMEs in the next five years. Workforce skills, property costs, government policy and broadband speed are just some of the key factors that influence the underlying business environment that is vital for supporting SME growth.
How do we get Southampton into the list???——————————————————————————————————————————————-
Are you at the start up or scale up stage?
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Lily Arora (Unity 101) and David Vane(
Last July, we spoke to female business owners in the UK about the challenges they face when running a business. We found that the biggest challenge was maintaining a work and family life balance (40%), followed by achieving credibility for their business (37%). A third of female business owners also said they had experienced gender discrimination in the workplace, with this being more prominent in certain industries such as construction. These findings have helped 
Are you at the start up or scale up stage?
promote themselves over the last few years. But with so many different styles and formats it is a little daunting for new business owner to know where to start.
Room
It is a damming fact but nearly 50% of start up businesses fail in the first two years. If enterprise and ideas are so important why is this happening?
“The FSB is a national organisation who offer their members a wide range of vital business services including advice, financial expertise, support and a powerful voice in government. Their mission is to help smaller businesses achieve their ambitions.” See more about their work on 
is a programme in community hour on 
What is pop up shop? You may have heard the term but do you know what it really is? Today on 
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The Scale-up UK report examines what more can be done to enhance finance options for high-growth businesses. When a business is experiencing fast-paced growth, accelerating in sales and employees quarter after quarter, challenges emerge and there are issues to handle. It matters not whether the company is a Midlands manufacturer, a financial services company in London, an oil and gas producer in Scotland or a northern retailer, their leaders face similar challenges and need support in hiring, procuring, financing and office space. 
SBGN 