Small businesses are a key part of the UK's economy. Of the country's almost six million businesses, 5.82 million of these are classed as small, according to official figures from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. In total, 13.2 million people work for small UK companies – making them one of the biggest employers around.
But many of these small companies don't get the recognition they deserve, says Anne Sheehan, business director at Vodafone UK. Such firms are crucial in working with larger, incumbent businesses as well as governments to drive innovation, Sheehan adds. "They do so much and they drive so much value in the economy".
One small business sector that's burgeoning is the creative industries. These include advertising and marketing, design, software and computer services, film, TV, radio and much more. Statistics from the UK's Creative Industries Council, which acts as a forum between people from the sector and the government, says there are 2,040,000 jobs in the creative sector and that it's creating new roles faster than other areas.
In 2017, the creative industries added £101.5 billion to the UK – it's a figure that's equivalent to £11.5 million every hour. The UK music industry alone contributed £5.2bn to the country's economy in 2018. Within this, smaller companies can help compete with their larger counterparts through the use of technology.
Research from Vodafone, revealed at its Business Heroes event in central London, has found that 40 per cent of small businesses believe they produce their best ideas and work while on the go. Once these ideas have been created, 38 per cent of them share them digitally.
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In partnership with MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC"It’s our ambition to be a digital partner that small businesses and creative industry customers can rely on,” says Sheehan. “We know that entrepreneurs and their teams rely heavily on their phones to run their businesses, and this is why we’re making life simpler for them with tailored propositions."
For people to produce their highest levels of work, a mixture of technologies are needed. Dependable hardware that's secure and which incorporates the right applications and services is crucial, but these tools can't be put to work without fast, reliable network connections. When surveyed, 41 per cent of small businesses told Vodafone that reliable connectivity will be key to helping them be more creative in the future.
Step forward 5G. The next generation mobile standard has been rolling out in the UK and beyond and offers low latency and faster speeds. Vodafone's 5G network is available in 34 places in the UK and another 68 locations abroad. The technology makes it easier for people to work remotely and be connected to those around them.
Jamal Edwards MBE founded SB.TV, a media platform that has its roots in London's underground music scene, in 2006. Since then the entrepreneur has helped to curate stages at music festivals, interviewed celebrities from Ed Sheeran to politicians including David Cameron, and written self-help books.
Jamal explained the importance of making sure the content he shared on SBTV was as good as possible to ensure the audience kept returning time and time again. There's now more content than ever before: in July 2007, there were 360 minutes of video uploaded to YouTube every minute, as of May 2019 that number has swelled to 500 minutes every minute.
The increase in content means it can be harder for creatives to break through, but it also means there's a much bigger audience available to target. The increase in demand is why Vodafone launched its Unlimited plans, which allow super-fast downloads and no limits on the amount of data that customers can use. To help small businesses, Vodafone has also introduced Vodafone Insurance with Rapid. As companies rely on their mobile devices to operate, the company will provide customers with a new phone within four hours if a handset is lost.
Whist at the event Jamal discussed some of his future ideas, such as an app where you can walk around different towns and cities and learn about music from that area, which would be a great way to discover new music.
To achieve this, a strong underlying technological infrastructure would be needed, and any creators of the app would need to be able to rigorously test it in the real world. According to Vodafone's research, 42 per cent of people in the creative sector believe it lags behind other industries for technological adoption. To help startups and creatives understand how technology is changing business, Vodafone has created Digital Innovation Hubs in Manchester and Coventry that offer access to the latest technologies, including 5G.
Sheehan says that businesses need to have unlimited opportunities when it comes to technology. They need support in experiencing emerging tech and to have access to the tools that make working easier. "It’s our ambition to be a digital partner that small businesses and creative industry customers can rely on,” says Sheehan. “We’re making life simpler for them with tailored propositions."
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