The cost of doing business 2022q2 Data from the Small Business Price Index

Small businesses with less than 50 employees employ 12.9m people (48 per cent of total private sector employment) and account for 36 per cent of private sector turnover. The Small Business Price Index (SBPI) provides an indication of the cost of doing business among this critical group of firms. The SBPI suggests that small business… Read more

What works for supporting firms to go digital?

It has often been suggested that smaller firms – especially more risk averse family-owned firms – may be reluctant to invest in new technologies or innovation. The Evolve Digital scheme, a business support programme for family run businesses, was developed through 2019 to address this issue. Evolve Digital was implemented as a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT)… Read more

Do resilient entrepreneurs lead more resilient businesses?

In the context of recent events like the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit, the ability of a business to survive a crisis is of heightened interest to many, including business leaders, support agencies and policymakers.  Previous research examining the resilience of firms – their ability to survive adversity and potentially to emerge stronger – has considered… Read more