Every September since 2004
Straight answers for the people who run small businesses.
Small businesses make up the vast majority of firms in every English-speaking economy. Every September since 2004, Small Business Advice Week has put practical advice in front of their owners.
What happens during the week
Experts on air
Specialists from our partners give interviews on radio, podcasts and online media on money, marketing, staff and the law.
Advice you can use
Free guides on cash flow, funding, hiring and the legal basics, written for owners who have ten minutes, not ten hours.
Research that makes the news
Partners publish new findings on how small firms are doing. Royal Mail used the week to show how many small businesses were starting to sell abroad.
Nominations are open
Favourite Small Business 2027
Which small business would you miss most if it closed? Nominate the cafés, shops, trades and online firms you rate, then vote. Winners are revealed on the first day of Small Business Advice Week 2027.
- Café or coffee shop
- Independent shop
- Pub, bar or restaurant
- Hair, beauty or wellbeing
- Trades or home service
- Fitness or leisure business
- Professional service
- Online business
- New business
- Community champion
Quick quiz
True or false?
Three quick statements about small business. How many can you get right?
Around nine in ten businesses worldwide are small or medium-sized.
The World Bank says SMEs make up around 90% of businesses and more than half of employment worldwide.
Small businesses employ less than a quarter of private sector workers in the United States.
US small businesses employ 45.9% of private sector workers, about 62.3 million people.
Source: Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business 2026, SBA Office of Advocacy
Most Australian businesses have 20 or more employees.
97% of actively trading Australian businesses are small, with fewer than 20 employees.
Who has backed the week
- Santander
- Royal Mail
- Groupon
- Funding Circle
- Nectar Business
- Make It Cheaper
- ICAEW
- British Business Bank
- For Dummies
- SWIG Finance
What partners have achieved
- 32 millionSantander: audience reached across 41 radio stations
- 28 millionRoyal Mail: audience reached across 52 radio stations
- 55 stationsFunding Circle: radio stations carrying its funding advice
Free help
Stuck on something?
Free, official support for small businesses in every English-speaking country, in one place.
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- Ireland
- New Zealand
- United Kingdom
Want small business owners to hear from your brand?
Each year a small number of partners lead the week, with their spokespeople on air and their research in the news.
Covering small business this September?
Find spokespeople, story ideas and the dates for the next three years on our media page.