We’re helping 10,000 small businesses start or grow by 2030 – could yours be one of them?
Apply for business support
Real help from real people, at no cost to you
At Simply Business, we’re passionate about helping small businesses owners make their dreams a reality.
That’s why our colleagues have come together to volunteer their time and skills to support the small businesses on our doorstep and beyond.
From painting walls and packing orders, to sharing marketing and finance expertise – tell us what you need and we’ll do our best to help.
Register your interest using the form and we’ll let you know if there’s a match.
We could help you with…
Support might mean a call with a marketing expert to talk through your goals, or having a few of our team members lend a hand in your shop. Just tell us what you need.
Some tasks we could help you with include:
Hands-on help
Get a half or full day’s help with tasks like packing orders, sorting stock, or repainting your space (100% free, materials included).
(London, Northamptonshire, and surrounding areas only)
Finance
Get free help with your finances. Our volunteers can offer one-to-one expert help on cash flow, budgeting, and basic bookkeeping.
Marketing
Better communicate what you do. We’ll refresh your website sales copy, subject lines, and customer email drafts.
AI
Simplify your daily admin. Get practical help with AI writing tools, customer reply automations, and timesaving apps.
Something else?
Whether it’s staffing an event, mystery shopping and feedback, or HR advice – tell us what could help and we’ll see what we can do.
What’s the catch?
There isn’t one. We want to do everything we can to achieve our Big Dreams Project goal to help 10,000 small businesses start or grow by 2030.
It’s free. That means no fee, no invoice, and all materials covered.
You don’t need to be a Simply Business customer to take part – and we won’t try to sell you anything.
We’re not asking for anything in return.
The practical bits
In-person help (painting, decorating, packing) is only available in Greater London and Northamptonshire, where our hubs are located.
Remote help (finance, marketing, AI) is available to small businesses anywhere in the UK.
Timing: You might need help now or later in the year – tell us on the form and we’ll work around you.
Time commitment: We can offer anything from 1-2 hours to a half day or a full day. We can generally only offer support during working hours (9.30-5pm, Monday to Friday).
Insurance and safety: While our volunteers are covered under our insurance while on duty, participating businesses are required to maintain their own valid insurance coverage and ensure a safe working environment compliant with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. A risk assessment will be completed before any in-person activity takes place.
About Simply Business
We’re one of the UK’s largest business insurance providers. Since we started life in 2005, we’ve helped three million small businesses and self-employed people find the protection that’s right for them, from builders to bakers and personal trainers (we cover landlords, too).
Over one million customers across 1,000 different trades trust us to support them with their insurance.
You can build a policy tailored to your business, choosing the covers that you need to help protect your business’s name.
All practical assistance, digital coaching, workshops, and feedback are offered by volunteer supporters from Simply Business. While every effort has been made to ensure that all support provided is thoughtful, practical, and constructive, such support does not constitute professional, legal, tax, accounting, financial, regulatory, or commercial advice. Where hands-on support involves physical assistance at a business’s premises, hands-on support is strictly restricted to light or moderate manual labour; any manual handling requires prior viewing of the Simply Business Workplace Services briefing video; and work at height is strictly prohibited under all circumstances. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Simply Business excludes all liability for physical property damage or business interruption. Participating businesses are encouraged to use their own judgement when considering the feedback and support received and to seek independent professional guidance where appropriate. The views expressed by volunteers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Simply Business or any affiliated organisation. This initiative is intended to be a learning and support opportunity; please take all practical assistance and feedback in the spirit of support, collaboration, and growth.