A small business is celebrating after being named among the best in the UK. Red Door Studios is among the 100 small businesses in the UK to be celebrated by Small Business Saturday, the campaign that culminates in one big day for the UK's 5.5 million small businesses on Saturday, December 2.
The business will be among those featured, with one a day focused on for the 100 days leading up to Small Business Saturday itself. These businesses will join a cohort of hundreds of firms that have been celebrated by the campaign since its launch in the UK in 2013 as it marks the fifth year of the event in the UK.
Red Door Studios, based just outside of Ashby in Newbold, is a film production house, specialising in animation including puppetry and video marketing. It works directly with small and medium-sized businesses and design agencies to seek quality, animated content for larger businesses.
Owner Tilley Bancroft, who is co-organiser of the Burton Small Business event, said: "Animators can traditionally be a little reluctant to shout about their craft. I see the Small Biz 100 as a platform from which I can reach and inspire other small businesses, particularly others in the creative industries. It will also give me the opportunity to shine a light on the local businesses that we already work and collaborate with."
Small Business Saturday is the UK's most successful small business campaign and is this year celebrating its fifth birthday year. Last year saw £717 million spent with small businesses across the UK on Small Business Saturday, up 15 per cent on the previous year.
The campaign trended at number one in the UK on Twitter on the day with more than 130,000 campaign-related tweets being sent, reaching more than 140 million people globally. More than 80 per cent of local councils supported the campaign, meaning wherever people were on Small Business Saturday, there was something going on nearby.
Campaign director Michelle Ovens said: "Small Business Saturday has gone from strength to strength in the five years since it launched in the UK. British businesses and customers have taken it to their hearts and now not only make a special effort once a year for Small Business Saturday, but appreciate the value small businesses bring to their communities year round.
"Small Business Saturday is open to everyone. Businesses on the high street or online, trading with other businesses or selling direct to consumers. It is open to every individual who can take this moment to support their local businesses, and it is open to public sector to both support and reflect on the huge value small businesses generate."
Small Business Saturday, which is a grassroots, not-for-profit campaign, was originally founded by American Express in America in 2010 and it remains the principal supporter of the campaign in the UK, as part of its on-going commitment to encourage consumers to shop small.
The campaign also benefits from the backing of leading business organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses and Enterprise Nation. The campaign is supported by Facebook, Dropbox, Mercedes Benz Vans, Indeed, Vistaprint and Lightspeed.
Logos and posters will be available to download from the website www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com from mid September and can be displayed online or on premises. Businesses around the country can also upload information to the My Small Business Finder on the website on what special events or promotional offers they will be running for Small Business Saturday.
More information on Small Business Saturday can also be found on the Small Business Saturday Facebook page and Twitter feed @SmallBizSatUk.
