Burton-based Ask the Chameleon director Rachel Hayward joined some of the top UK’s top small businesses to receive special recognition at an exclusive house of lords reception.
Ask the Chameleon was recognised as one of this year’s Small Biz 100, which had been running ahead of last weekend’s Small Business Saturday which was celebrated across the UK. Ask the Chameleon, established three years ago by bid writing specialist Miss Hayward, is one of 100 businesses across the UK which have been raising awareness of the importance of smaller businesses to the UK economy and local communities.
The campaign has highlighted one business per day for the 100 days leading up to Small Business Saturday. Ask the Chameleon works with businesses of all sizes, from entrepreneurs to larger companies as well as charities and public sector organisations, to develop bids, tenders, grant and award applications to support their growth.
She used her Small Biz 100 day, which fell on Sunday, November 25, to challenge fellow smaller businesses to recognise their worth through an online podcast of local entrepreneurs. These included Annabel’s Angels, which is Ask the Chameleon’s designated charity, Baasit Siddiqui, from Channel 4’s ‘Gogglebox’ fame who runs Siddiqui Education delivering Let’s Pitch It workshops, and Owen Conti, from Derby IT company and Marketing Derby’s Rising Star Code 56.
Miss Hayward said: “It was an honour to be invited to the reception the House of Lords and to learn more about how the UK’s 5.5 million small businesses contribute to the economy. We had a fantastic response to our Small Biz 100 day when the key message to other business owners was to recognise their worth as well as the need for us all to support small businesses in our region. I now look forward to being part of the Small Business Saturday event at the University of Derby’s Enterprise Centre where advice will be available to start-up and more established business owners.”
Lord Young of Graffham, former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and government adviser on enterprise and small business, hosted the event which was attended by other special guests, including Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Lord Young said: “Small businesses are the true backbone of our economy, helping to drive growth across all areas of the country. Hosting the impressive businesses in this year’s Small Biz was a huge pleasure, and it is only a small part of the recognition they deserve for their entrepreneurial spirit shown day in, day out.”
Michelle Ovens, director of Small Business Saturday UK, said: “They are hugely deserving of recognition and we are thrilled to have the honour of hosting this special celebration at The House of Lords.”
Ask The Chameleon helps businesses of all sizes develop and grow by writing funding bids, awards and contract submissions. With a background in business development we work with you to explore what is available, and demystify the support landscape to create a solution that’s right for you. Visit their website here
