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It’s Global Entrepreneurship Week and our latest Small Business Barometer is out. It paints a picture of the small business community in transition as we hurtle towards the Budget. Things are not as bleak as many would suggest with tiny signs of recovery - albeit from a very low base in 2022. For example the appetite to take on board investment has slightly recovered. But in other areas – such as export – it seems the ambition has evaporated. This must be addressed, and it’s a key part of our Budget submission.  

Digital skills and adoption remain constant – with female founders catching up with their male counterparts by a considerable margin. Hoorah! 

Funding issues haven’t held back banker and coffee entrepreneur Yusuf Amanullah. The founder of Unconform functional coffee hit the rocks over the pandemic with coffee crashes and the shakes to keep up with his workload, but he turned it into a multi-million pound ambition – with support from his mum.  

What if you could have a chief technology officer ‘as a service’? It could help to support the smallest firms evolve and adapt more affordably and rapidly. 

In fact, this already exists in Singapore, but what if our government adopted this idea and UK businesses became global digital leaders? Why not? Daniel Woolf examines what that might look like.  

Finally, what’s the point of a CRM? Many businesses reckon it’s only for the big guys. I encourage you to read this excellent guide from Enterprise Nation adviser Gozia Fitzgerald, founder of OnePageCRM on how to leverage this technology to build solid relationships and get a clear advantage. 

Don't forget we've got our Black Friday initiative going out next week - just email [email protected] if you'd like to share your products and offers with the Enterprise Nation membership.

Feast and famine: How to manage your wellbeing when you’re running an agency, by Chris Goodfellow 

The complete CRM guide for small businesses (2026), by Gosia FitzGerald at OnePage CRM  

How a banker’s coffee crash sparked multi million pound ambition, by Liz Slee 

Why we need CTO as a service, by Daniel Woolf  

Policy Pulse, with Vodafone three’s policy manager Vanessa Higham, by Liz Slee 

Why a simple anti-bribery policy could help you win more public contracts, by Marc Gardner 

Why busyness isn't growth: How to be more profitable, adviser blog by Mark Elliott 

The complete guide to starting a freelance business (UK edition), by Marc Gardner 

Guiding growth: How mentoring helps business owners take a step back, by Marc Gardner 

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