Small Business Saturday is here, and so is the festive season. Hey Little Cupcake is working at full tilt, full of seasonal cakes and festive cheer. We started four years ago, tiny, in the kitchen at home. So tiny that we could not even get a bank loan! From such little beginnings we have built a small and vibrant business in Manchester.
We bake, we do decorating classes, cater for weddings and parties, office birthdays and meetings, afternoon teas … We have taken part in food fairs and garden shows, and recently forged a relationship with Selfridges to develop an outlet within their store. However, it takes huge effort to get the name and product known, and introduced to our customers or clients. Getting known and building up a customer base has taken nearly as much work as making and selling the cupcakes.
Small businesses can often be hidden. The lucky ones can find a presence on a high street or maybe a tourist destination where there are lots of passers by. Many are on little streets, side streets, possibly above or behind another business, and the process of building a profile is even more important. This is especially so in an economic climate very dominated by the big and powerful companies. Having the back-up of politicians, strong organisations including the council, area development organisations, local civic societies and rotary clubs creates clout that each business alone would struggle to achieve.
SBS is a brilliant vehicle to help focus attention on all the little businesses, from tree surgeons to beauty therapists, lawyers to jewellery-makers, and, of course, little cake shops. However different the business, we share many similar issues, needs and problems.
Events around SBS have given HLC another platform for marketing the business, another means of networking with other businesses, and a way of sharing business ideas and skills. It helps businesses because it can give a bit of structure for advertising what they do, and brings people together to have a louder voice as a group.
Focusing in on a special day has given time for posters, newspaper articles, shop window displays, items on local radio, which have all played a part in generating awareness, a sense of excitement, expectation of something a little out of the ordinary and, above all, fun and enjoyment. There are great events planned in craft centres, town centres and village high streets all across Manchester, and the country.
We are all keen to encourage people to shop locally, regenerate high streets, and help prosperity. Small independent businesses help to build community, individuality, business success and prosperity. So, on Small Business Saturday, Hey Little Cupcake, along with all the other small businesses who have worked so hard, is looking forward to a successful day and, whatever the weather, a good boost of festive cheer. It may not be snowing, but we have got snowmen cupcakes a-plenty to celebrate the day.
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Sarah Wilson-Gibbons is director of Hey Little Cupcake!