Advertising professionals to offer advice to SMEs

• Free legal, marketing and accountancy advice to small businesses across the UK
• Thousands of experts on hand to advise small firms recovering from Coronavirus
• Scheme delivered via the Enterprise Nation website and endorsed by government

Thousands of expert professional and business services advisers have signed up to offer free online advice to help small businesses bounce back from Coronavirus. The Recovery Advice for Business scheme, supported by the Government and hosted on the Enterprise Nation website, will give small firms access to free, one-to-one advice with an expert adviser to help them through the Coronavirus pandemic and to prepare for long-term recovery and the Advertising Association is excited to be taking part.

Advice offered will include bespoke, specialist assistance from accountancy, legal, and advertising to marketing, recruitment and digital to help businesses adapt to difficult circumstances and to bounce back as the UK economy recovers. The platform is now live here.

Business experts, supported by the UK’s major professional and trade bodies, have rallied behind the Government-backed initiative, with thousands of expert advisers already on hand and ready to do their bit to help small businesses recover and rebuild. Business Ministers, Nadhim Zahawi and Paul Scully have written to the advertising industry encouraging its support. You can read the letter here.

Our CEO Stephen Woodford has also enthusiastically backed the scheme, commenting: “Marketing and advertising will play a vital role in our economic recovery through re-building consumer confidence and driving competition and innovation. People in our industry will be keen to support the Recovery Advice for Business scheme and share their expertise to help UK SMEs planning their Covid-19 recovery strategies. This is an opportunity to help Britain’s challenger brands and businesses get back into growth, so they can play their part in rebuilding the economy, protecting and creating jobs and prosperity across the Nations and regions of the UK.”

Small Business Minister Paul Scully said: “We have stood by small businesses throughout this crisis, offering a wide-ranging package of financial support. However, it is also important that business owners get easy access to expert advice and support.

“It is incredible to see so many professional advisers stepping up to do their bit for small businesses across the country. This advice platform will help to boost our recovery from the impact of Coronavirus, giving small businesses extra support to adapt their business models and come back fighting.”

Emma Jones, founder of small business support network Enterprise Nation, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has left thousands of SMEs facing a set of completely new challenges now and into the future.  There has never been a more important time for firms to turn to the trusted advice of a professional and start on a path to recovery.

“We’ve been overwhelmed and astonished by the generosity of the adviser community, thousands of whom have stepped forward to give their time and knowledge to revive, guide and support the nation’s small businesses through the pandemic to regain the momentum and restore the economic confidence with which we started the year.

“Running a business can be isolating at the best of times, and this initiative will mean founders will not have to face the future alone.”

Each adviser has offered at least one hour of free advice a month until the end of 2020 which could deliver a lifeline to thousands of SMEs looking for support.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), the Institute of Chartered Accountants England & Wales (ICAEW), the Advertising Association, the Law Society and the Management Consultancies Association (MCA) are among the professional bodies to have signed up for the scheme.

How you can help and join the effort

To get involved you need to:

1. Register as a Business Adviser volunteer by completing this form and enter this coupon code: ADVPLUS2020.
2. Complete your profile on Enterprise Nation by uploading a photo, add this copy to your bio and include your company details. The more information you provide, the more SMEs will understand how your advice can help them.

Small businesses are the backbone of the UK economy. You have an opportunity to support the recovery through offering valuable advice to small businesses at the time they need it most.

We hope you will join us in the mission to save our small business community.

Any questions? Click here to see FAQs on the programme. For more information contact Matthew Evans at the Advertising Association.