Small Business Saturday will take place on 5 December this year. Is your business ready to take advantage of the opportunity?

In the news, the government has announced tougher penalties for those failing to pay minimum wage and the banking watchdog’s report is greeted with disappointment by some groups.

Top news stories

Companies face tougher penalties for failing to pay minimum wage

Employers who do not pay workers minimum wage or the National Living Wage will face tougher penalties, including doubling penalties for non-payment and disqualifying employers from being a company director for up to 15 years.

Small businesses at risk in tax avoidance clampdown

Insolvency trade body R3 says companies are receiving demands for tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds in potentially unpaid tax and national insurance contributions. HMRC said it expects to issue nationally a further 40,000 demands by the end of 2016.

Uptake of Shared Parental Leave has been slow

Just 2% of businesses in the UK have seen a 'significant' uptake of Shared Parental Leave since it was brought in in April, according to new research.

Key dates for your diary

31 October: Midnight deadline for paper submission of Self Assessment tax returns for tax year ended 5 April 2015.

2 November: Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Amendment No.2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 come into force. This changes the time period during which a registered body can ask for confirmation of the issuing of a criminal record or enhanced criminal record certificate. More details on the government’s website.

Get ready for Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday is a campaign which encourage people to shop locally and support small local businesses. It was started in 2013 and takes place on the first Saturday in December (that’s 5 December this year). Both small businesses and consumers can sign up to take part.

What it could do for your business

So why should you join in? Well, it’s simple to do and unless you’re normally closed on a Saturday, it doesn’t take much extra effort to take part. Here are just some of the benefits:

• Increase business: last year 16.5 million people shopped in a small independent business on the day, which was a 20% increase in footfall on 2013. By joining in, you could capture your share of those sales.
• Raise awareness: 64% of people were aware of last year’s Small Business Saturday. If you take part, it’s a great opportunity not only to be part of a wider community but also raise awareness of your business amongst people who are wanting to shop this way.
• Help you compete with large corporates: if people know your business is available, they might think twice before automatically turning to a national or multi-national company for their shopping.
• Demonstrate what makes you different: there are many advantages of being smaller. You might be able to offer a personal service, source items for people or offer different, niche products. Whatever your unique selling point, being able to show customers why you’re different (and better) should help to keep them coming back.

How to take part

Here are a few ways to get involved:

• Join the campaign: by registering on the Small Business Saturday website, you’ll ensure your business is listed so people know you’ll be taking part. You can also download a toolkit to help you prepare for the big day. 
• Give people an incentive to visit: think about setting up a special offer available for that one day or lay on entertainment or hand out freebies. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you’re complying with legislation (e.g. health and safety, licensing, food handling) and the terms of your lease.
• Get the word out: use any method you can think of to tell people that you’ll be involved. Use social media, get word out via your email lists, put up signs in the shop window, send out a press release. This will help you raise your profile and get people through the door on the day.
• Check out what’s going on in your area: the Small Business Saturday website lets you see who else is involved. Think about whether you could pair up with other businesses to reach a new audience or to create a real impact.

To find out more

To find out more or get involved, check out the Small Business Saturday website. There’s also a bus tour, travelling through the UK in November. You can see when and where it will be on this map.