Chelmsford has long been acclaimed as the birthplace of radio thanks to the legacy of Marconi. It now looks as though the City has been recognised as a microbusiness megastar. In this post our guest author, David Kightley, examines the data behind this mind-blowing revelation!
While Chelmsford has been long been recognised for its thriving microbusiness community and remarkable entrepreneurial spirit it has now been ranked second in the country as a leading hotspot for entrepreneurs, start-ups and very small businesses. Small businesses are often touted as the backbone of the British economy and Government statistics state that there were 5.5 million private businesses in the UK last year, and 99.9% of those (5.47 million) were classified as ‘small’ businesses, meaning up to 49 employees.
Size isn’t everything!
But to the average sole trader or entrepreneur just starting out, it might feel like a gargantuan achievement to reach 49 employees. What about even smaller businesses employing no more than 4 people? This latest study and data analysis took into account the size of population, number of businesses employing no more than 4 people but large enough to be registered for either VAT, PAYE or both, percentage of the population self-employed and achieving a 5-year business survival rate.
The study results
Based on those criteria the ranking covered 68 UK towns and cities and in the top 10 Chelmsford was only pipped to the post by Bath & North East Somerset and by a hair’s breadth at that! The remaining places were filled by Cheltenham, Exeter, Chester, York, Edinburgh, Maidstone, Worcester and Thanet. Essex was well represented with Colchester in 26th place and Southend at number 44.
Councillor Simon Goldman, Chelmsford City Council’s Cabinet Deputy for the Economy and Small Business said of the results: “As one of the UK’s youngest and growing cities, Chelmsford is proudly home to over 9,000 businesses and offers the potential to become home to many more. The City Council works closely with small businesses to provide business support and guidance. We want to ensure everyone that needs or wants it has access to opportunities to grow and succeed. We’re very proud Chelmsford features so highly in the list of microbusiness superstars.”
Jenny Young, Director of the Research and Innovation Development Office at Anglia Ruskin University commented: “This is wonderful news, but we’re not surprised to see Chelmsford feature so highly in these microbusiness rankings. Essex has a remarkable entrepreneurial spirit and this, combined with talented graduates and a fantastic business support network, makes it a great place to launch a start-up”.
Take a look at DSD now
In the autumn of 2023 DSD will be celebrating its fourteenth anniversary of continuous trading and DSD’s eponymous owner, Dan Summers, will have clocked-up 20 years as a graphic design professional. Whether that qualifies the business as a megastar depends upon the ongoing quality of its output and the glowing testimonials of its satisfied client portfolio that now numbers well over 300 and pushing on to the next landmark on our website timeline.
As Lord Rose (former chairman and CEO of M&S) famously said: “Being in business is like being in the theatre; you have to give a great performance every day”. If you would like your business, large or small, to benefit from Dan’s experience then give him a call right now in his sizzling hot design studio in Chelmsford City Centre on 01245 890238. He’s still got some seats to fill in his auditorium!
This study was conducted by Business Financed, an organisation that advocates and supports entrepreneurialism and start up business culture. See more at www.businessfinanced.co.uk/microbusiness-study/#
