Enterprise Nation

It was San Sharma’s idea. Enthralled by a roadtrip he once took across California, we sat in a café sipping strong coffee and that’s when he said it: ‘Em, you know what. We should go on a home business roadtrip of the UK’ – That was in 2007. It’s now 2009 and we’re 12 days away from embarking on that trip. Here’s what it’s all about.
 

The best kept secret

We don’t say it often enough on the site but over 60% of small businesses are started from a home base.

What we do show often enough is the amazing range of businesses being run from home. Big ones, little ones, foodie-ones, fashion ones, young ones, older ones. The variety and dynamism of businesses being run behind residential doors never ceases to amaze us.

Which is why on the roadtrip we’ll be meeting lots of home businesses (we hope to meet with more than 400 businesses over the course of the week) and we’ll be filming a few of them to shine a light on the vibrant home business sector.

The result of the filming will be a documentary looking at the rise of home business in the UK and we’ll be airing it for the first time on Home Enterprise Day – Friday 20th November.

The documentary will show how home businesses are growing by sub-contracting, how we’re more likely to trade overseas than non home based businesses and how working and living under one roof is bringing families together.

We’ll be calling on the Government and policy makers and asking them to make changes to the way business support is delivered in a way that recognises a new way of working and a new definition of business growth.

We’ve got a lot to do but we sure do hope to see you along the way!

Crew

• Emma Jones – responsible for interviewing, presenting, party planning
• Tim Sargent - filming, directing, producing
   
• Nick Clark – driving, in-car entertaining

PS San Sharma, sadly, will not be joining us on the trip but he’s most happy to take credit for having come up with the idea!