UK SMALL BUSINESSES CAN WIN A FREE BILLBOARD IN THEIR REGION TO BOOST VISIBILITY IN FACE OF RISING COST OF LIVING

One lucky small business owner in the UK has the chance to win a free billboard space in their region to boost the visibility of their business. The competition, run by one of the UK’s leading small business insurance providers Simply Business, has been launched to give UK small businesses a helping hand in the face of wider economic challenges including the rising cost of living and surging energy bills.

Simply Business is donating the advertising space to the winner for a two-week period in November. All small business owners have to do is fill in this form and tell Simply Business why they deserve to win a billboard in their region.

Small businesses are vital to local communities and people are noticeably preferring to shop small rather than at larger chains. Recent research commissioned by Simply Business discovered that given the choice, nearly nine in ten (88%) people prefer to shop at small, local, or independent businesses when compared to larger chains, or a mixture of small businesses together with larger chains.

The competition is the latest installment of a long list of initiatives by Simply Business to support small businesses. The company launched the third iteration of its Business Boost initiative which will award a £25,000 cash prize to the winner. The winner is set to be announced in October by an expert judging panel including the former star of TV’s Dragons’ Den, Piers Linney and The Apprentice winner Harpreet Kaur. The prize is designed to give UK small businesses a significant helping hand in the face of wider economic challenges including the rising cost of living.

Meanwhile, in June 2022, Perky Blenders, a London-based specialty coffee roaster, beat over 1,500 punny-named small businesses to be presented with the hotly contested accolade of ‘Britain’s Best Small Business Name’. The husband and wife duo picked up a £2,500 grant from Simply Business, aimed at supporting business growth. The competition was launched to celebrate the wit, creativity, and humour of the nation’s small business owners.

Alan Thomas, UK CEO at Simply Business comments: “We’re proud to provide tailored insurance to over 800,000 creative and diverse businesses across the UK. We see our role as more than an insurance provider – we’re champions for small businesses. It is no secret that the current economic climate is difficult for everyone, with small businesses facing a huge range of challenges. Giving one lucky small business the opportunity for free advertising space in their region will hopefully provide a significant boost in these difficult times.

“With close to six million SMEs across the UK, acting as the lifeblood of our communities and collectively providing trillions of pounds to the UK economy, the competition out there is fierce. We’re excited to support a small business at this time.”

The ‘Win a Billboard’ competition will be open from 20 September and will close on 30th September 2022. The billboard advertisement will be in place for a 2-week period during November 2022. The winner will feature in a billboard advertisement in their region. The competition is open to business owners (sole trader or registered) aged 18 or over.

Small Businesses can enter by filling in a short form explaining why they deserve to win: https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/you-name-it-we-insure-it/ <https://get.simplybusiness.co.uk/you-name-it-we-insure-it/>