Skip to main content
We’re here with practical IT information for your business. Access comprehensive IT resources and more.

Search

How to choose the right computer equipment for your business to increase your productivity and efficiency without it costing the earth.

Business software helps you complete a range of tasks. Choose the right software, provide support and train your staff with our introduction.

It is highly likely that you depend on the internet for some aspects of your business. Find out how you can use the internet more effectively.

Good communication with customers, partners and suppliers is vital for business success. This summary explores business communication methods.

How would you cope if your IT system failed or was breached? We cover the main IT security issues and how to protect against them.

Good IT management can help you choose, use and implement IT. Our overview helps you manage IT in a way that maximises the return on your investment.

IT support is vital if you rely on your IT system. But how can you set up an effective safety net in case things go wrong? We explore the options.

Getting the right IT is just the first step. Appropriate training, policies and working practices can help you maximise return on your IT investment.

UK entrepreneurs go for growth in 2022

8 March 2022

The COVID pandemic and soaring costs have not dented the ambition of the UK’s sole traders and small business owners, according to new research.

Small business owners are determined to thrive after two years’ of unprecedented challenges thrown at them by the COVID pandemic. The annual survey of Donut website users, conducted by Atom Content Marketing in December 2021, has found that 56% of small business owners say they expect their business to do better in 2022 and 70% say they plan to grow their business and grasp new opportunities.

These results echo the findings of last week’s report by Small Business Britain and TSB which found that 66% of business owners say they expect their business to grow in 2022.

However, the ambition of the UK’s freelancers and small business owners is tempered by realism in the face of on-going challenges. Donut users were asked to name their biggest worries for 2022. The top concerns are:

  • Rising prices and costs (19%);
  • The state of the economy (14%);
  • Further COVID restrictions (14%);
  • Wellbeing and work/life balance (12%);
  • Tax rises (11%);
  • Cashflow and funding (11%).

Despite these challenges, the findings show that only 7% of those polled said they expect their business to do worse in 2022, while 14% expect it to do the same and 56% said it would do better. The results also found that just 4% are planning to exit their business this year, while for 23% the focus is on getting back to business as usual. Seven in ten (70%) are looking for growth.

Donut survey screenshot

Looking back at the past two years, it seems that the pandemic has impacted the small business community in many ways, not all of it negatively:

  • 25% said the pandemic had damaged their business;
  • 24% said it had brought new opportunities;
  • 22% said it had made them change their business model;
  • 17% said they weren’t affected;
  • 12% said it made them more resilient.

When asked to name the single most important thing that had helped their business survive the pandemic, 36% of respondents cited a shift to online, 26% said adaptability, 20% said government financial support, 15% said hard work and 14% said they used their own funds.

When it comes to assessing the government response to the pandemic and the help it gave to UK businesses, it seems the jury is still out - 37% of those polled said they were neither satisfied or unsatisfied with government support. And while 35% described themselves as satisfied or very satisfied, one in four of those polled (25%) were not satisfied.

Interestingly, when it comes to getting business advice, just 17% of business owners said they use government information - significantly down from over 50% in 2020. Instead, business advice websites, including the Donuts, were the most popular source of advice. Other key sources of guidance include professional organisations and trade bodies.

Another key role the government will play in the coming years is supporting businesses as they take steps to reach net zero carbon emissions. The poll asked business owners how they were currently approaching the net zero goal. The findings show that a worrying 48% are yet to take any steps at all, either saying that they have no plans in this area (32%) or that they are waiting for government guidance and funding (16%). One in four (39%) say they have already taken steps to reduce carbon emissions in their business and 10% say they are determined to reach net zero in their business as soon as possible.

See the full findings on the Start Up Donut.

Written by Rachel Miller.

Stay up-to-date with business advice and news

Sign up to this lively and colourful newsletter for new and more established small businesses.

Contact us

Make an enquiry