Putting Community at the heart of Micro Business Support.

How our word of the year is shaping 2026.

For the last few years, we have started the year with a word to help us shape the year ahead and create some strategic focus for the work Simply Club does for micro business owners. In an increasingly unpredictable world, it’s not always easy to set out concrete plans in January that will still be fit for purpose by Summer, but there can be guidance, clarity and a helpful spotlight by choosing a word, that sums up where we want to head to and how.

This year our word is ‘community’.

On the surface this might seem ironic, given that at Simply Club, and all that we do at Simply, is about bringing small, micro business owners together in community. However, the message of community has taken on new meaning over the last 12 to 24 months which we want to capture and share as much as possible in 2026.

Despite the fact that entrepreneurial activity in the UK is growing, as are numbers of micro businesses (now standing at 5.7 million), our national conversation still underrates the significance of this sector in its ability to address some of the key challenges the UK faces. Although this article isn’t directly highlighting the benefits to people, places and planet of a growing (and thriving) micro business sector, which are significant for the record, it is clear that these millions of micro businesses are still suffering in the face of this repeated undervalued position.

At an individual level, owning, running and leading a very small business (micros have 0-9 employees by definition) can be a lonely and isolated place. After 5 post pandemic years of increasing uncertainty and ever more challenging trading environments, it’s no wonder that owners and their wellbeing feel at an all time low ebb. Government and other funded business support projects repeatedly include peer learning and group working for business leaders as a crucial element in programmes and yet, it’s something that’s hard to come by for those excluded from such programmes or simply don’t have the capacity to attend. If the evidence is so clear, and in my experience of 20 years or more of business support it very much is, then promoting opportunities to create meaningful communities for business owners and leaders to gather, share and learn is crucial if we are to grow this sector and its impact on our economy, local communities and the people in them.

The 5.7 million micro businesses that already operate are contributing about 24% of annual UK turnover. Not insignificant. But as the focus of media spotlights, TV programming & education policy, to name a few, continue to ignore this impact, it’s a moment in time for micros to find their voice together and continue to grow their collaborative and supportive approach to each other in order for the UK to maximise the opportunity to support and grow this sector. Strengthening the micro business owners community provides a significant opportunity for Britain to turn round its high streets, local communities, provide meaningful employment for more people and innovate from the ground up. Already a tenacious and resilient group of people, the micro business sector needs to rely on each other in order to find the strength and motivation to keep going the times are so disruptive and challenging.

Community building costs almost nothing if space and thought is given to the very specific needs and experiences of micro business owners. Often consideration needs to be given to owners, operators & leaders in their own businesses, to their capacity and confidence so that community is both accessible and inclusive to all. We are all aware of pockets of community that may feel expensive, exclusive or even excluding, so informal, locally focussed and simple is often the best way to breath life into communities that persist. At Simply, we plan to roll out more ways for micros to easily access a sense of community, whether it’s face to face away days and Meet Ups or algorithm (& hate) free online forums that allow individuals to find work friends and trusted teams of people that they can lean into in good times and bad. Our Simply Club model is already bearing fruit with multiple case studies of members, who already have a sense of belonging and support, working together and building relationships that last project orator project. This has taken the form of commissioned work, shared resources and collaborative projects and promotions.

So here we are at the beginning of one of the most significant years I can remember (and there have been many!) and it's clear that working together, providing space, collaborating, community building and engaging with each other will be crucial as we face what's next. There's no doubt to the benefit to us all if we can only help the UK's micro business sector to grow and thrive.

Find out more about what Simply is doing to help business do better for people, places and planet and for individuals to build lives they love more through the magic of micro business at Simply Great Britain.