'Small is Beautiful' Roll of Honour Launched
The Micro Business Champion, #PayIn30Days campaigner and co-founder, with Tina Boden, of #MicroBizMatters Day, Tony Robinson OBE, has launched a 'Small is Beautiful' Roll of Honour on LinkedIn.
Businesses, social enterprises, charities and individuals are asked to read a short article and watch a 2 minutes video and, if they agree with the 'Small is Beautiful' values expressed, to add their name to the fast-growing list. Names will be collected until Friday, 11th January 2019 which is the 5th, annual, #MicroBizMatters Day and is when the full roll of honour will be published online and in print.
Many of the people supporting this initiative run large membership organisations, such as Janet Jack, Chief Executive of the International Association of Book-Keepers and Ian Cass, Chief Executive of the Forum of Private Business. Janet and Ian along with Dan Martin of Enterprise Nation, Ed Goodman of Freelance Heroes, Paul Lancaster of Newcastle Startup Week and Elaine Clark of Women in Accountancy participated in the 8 hours live broadcast on the fourth #MicroBizMatters Day from Manchester at the start of the year.
Robinson explained during his one-man show at Newcastle Start-Up Week why politicians and civil servants need to see that the "influential drivers of the economy and society - independent business owners - are willing to put their name behind 'Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered'".
Robinson added: "Schumacher rightly claimed 45 years ago that the wealthy will never say 'enough' and the 'rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer'. Every day in my lifetime Government has promoted big business growth, increasing productivity and wealth creation, all to benefit the biggest shareholders - increased wealth has never trickled down.
Schumacher summed it up when he said that 'large-scale enterprise is not conducive to the public welfare. What is at stake is not economics, but culture, not the standard of living but the quality of life'.
Schumacher backed small-scale enterprise where 'private ownership is natural, fruitful and just'. In the UK alone there are 5.5 million micro businesses which are 95% of all businesses in the UK. They are making the biggest contribution to innovation, communities and society. Nearly every new job in our economy comes from new micro-business owners (0-9 employees).
Independent business owners are doing great things for people, not profit, through the collaboration of hundreds of networks and membership organisations. So, we're not looking for Government intervention or legislation but we do want Government to respect the 'Small is Beautiful' values which so many of us believe in. Their respect for these values will lead to a better, more equal society as Government can enable a more level playing field for enterprising people vis-a-vis large corporations.
The Government can do this so easily with, such as public procurement policies, energy, telecom and rail costs and, of course, #PayIn30Days. As a Government contractor, Carillion's 120 Days 'take it or leave it' terms would have been prohibited by policymakers that respected 'Small is Beautiful'."
The LinkedIn article and call for a 'Small is Beautiful' roll of honour can be read here https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-put-your-business-name-behind-small-beautiful-tony-robinson-obe/