Over the last few years, I’ve spent a lot of time working alongside small and micro-business owners — not as a theorist, but in the practical trenches. Through media work, advisory roles and projects across local enterprise, I kept hearing the same things. People weren’t short of motivation or ideas. They were short of time, clarity and confidence that they were doing the right thing. Regulation felt opaque. Advice was scattered. Support existed, but only if you already knew where to look — and most people didn’t. That’s where the idea for Business111 began to take shape: not another advice site, but a front door. A place that brings together trusted, government-backed information, explains what matters now, and helps people understand what to do next without fear or jargon.
Co-founding Business111 with Liz Barclay was the natural next step. Liz has spent years inside the system — as a former Small Business Commissioner and a tireless advocate for micro and small firms — challenging late payment, poor practice and policies that look good on paper but fail in reality.