On 23rd September, The Marketing Optimist central Leeds office hosted a 12-strong delegation of civil servants as part of the Department for Business and Trade’s SME Safari. We were proud to be one of only three businesses in Leeds chosen to take part in the visit.

The goal of the SME Safari is simple yet vital: to bring policy makers working on the frontline of government straight to small business owners so they can hear first-hand about the everyday realities, challenges, and opportunities facing regional SMEs. Led by Emma Jones CBE, Small Business Commissioner at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the delegation spent the day visiting us, alongside Nisha Katona, founder of Mowgli Street Food, and Becky Palfery, owner of Colours May Vary.

To be completely honest, when the invitation first arrived, I wasn’t sure if it was a wind-up! In all my years running a business, no one from the government had ever reached out to me or any small business owner I know to discuss the practical challenges of running an SME. Naturally, I was surprised and more than a little flattered to be invited.

Returning to our roots

Once the visitors had settled into our Leeds office, the discussion around the table covered some great topics. The delegation wanted to understand the origins of The Marketing Optimist, which took me right back to how it all started.

The digital agency was originally born out of a visit to the Job Centre following my redundancy, where, rather than signing on, I was offered a place on the Enterprise Allowance Scheme, a government initiative that provided the initial springboard to launch the business, but one that sadly no longer exists today. That help gave me room to get the company moving, without having to worry about signing on regularly, and the funding wasn’t a loan it was just enough to keep me going.

The big talking point: Government Procurement

A central topic during our session was government procurement and why it remains so difficult for marketing agencies like ours to get a foot in the door.
Having previously delivered social media, and SEO campaigns for both the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, North Yorkshire Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and we have direct experience working with other public sector bodies too. However, as I explained to the delegation, the sheer amount of hoops and paperwork required often makes it tough for small teams to cope with, meaning most of the time small business owners simply don’t bother applying.

Important support initiatives on the table

It wasn’t all about highlighting hurdles, though. It was genuinely encouraging to hear about several constructive measures being developed to support small businesses across the UK:

• Late Payment and Bad Debt: The Office of the Small Business Commissioner highlighted new resources and support aimed at helping SMEs tackle late payments and bad debt.
• Exporting Guidance: Discussions covered clear routes and support available for growing businesses looking to expand into exporting.
• Policy Integration: Civil servants gathered direct feedback on how frontline policies can better align with practical SME needs.

A marketing challenge for the Government

Before this meeting, it felt very much like businesses like ours were left to manage on their own while government focus remained on corporate interests. Sitting down with the delegation made it clear that there is actually far more support available for small businesses than I was aware of.
Ironically, that means the government has a classic marketing problem, they simply need to market themselves better so business leaders actually know what help is available!

I really hope that this is just the beginning of our conversation with the UK Government and that they’ll listen to other businesses like ours which are vital to keeping the country moving.