Micro Business Matters

Yorkshire: Where Your Micro Business and You Matter

Yorkshire Coast based Tina Boden is a leading voice for micro business in the UK and an expert on the impact the wellbeing of a micro business and the owner of that business has on each other. Third generation self-employed, Tina has been running micro businesses in Yorkshire in different sectors for over 30 years and knows a thing or two about how the smallest of businesses tick.

Helping micro business owners with development and growth is the key focus of Tina’s day to day life. Working one-to-one with the business owner as The Tiny Troubleshooter, or stepping in while they take a break in her role as The B and B Keeper, Tina ensures the wellbeing of the micro business—and its owner—is as good as it can be.

Always keen to make a difference through positive action, Tina co-founded #MicroBizMatters Day with Tony Robinson OBE and has co-funded the #MicroBizMatters movement since 2012. Their aim is to make life in micro business better and they hold an annual online day of recognition, action and learning for micro business owners everywhere on the second Friday of January. 2021 will be their seventh event and will come live from Tina and Tony’s home town of Scarborough. In addition to this, Tina is Chair of the Andrew McGeown Legacy Fund, funding the SwimSafe programme in Scarborough and Bridlington that educates young people about the dangers of swimming in open water. Community and the people who live and work in those localities play an important part in Tina’s work ethos.

Independent study about independent business

For a number of years, to align with her business and business owner wellbeing focus, Tina has wanted to carry out a study to highlight the importance of independent micro businesses in Yorkshire, England’s largest county. Now felt like the right time for her to embark on this self-funded piece of work so she could also explore the impact coronavirus has had on those Yorkshire businesses that employ 0 to 9 people and turnover less than £2 million per annum.

Yorkshire; where your micro business and you matter will:

• look at how the wellbeing of the micro business and the business owner affects each other
• establish how micro businesses benefit Yorkshire communities, from hamlet to city locations
• share case studies of micro business owners located in God’s own county that know what it is like to strive and thrive in business, and how this affects their personal life.

Focusing on three key areas that not only individuals but Yorkshire as a region thrive in:

• Leading the Way
• Collaboration is Key
• Independent Identity

Why now ?

Having faced so much uncertainty over recent months and experienced abnormalities we hope will never be seen again in our lifetime, Tina felt now was most definitely the time to talk to micro business owners about the impact they have felt both personally and in business and look at how that impact entwines.

She wants to highlight key hurdles micro business owners have and continue to face in a hope that this may help to shape business support in the future. Tina is also keen to show how the existence of independent micro businesses in communities brings locality identity and help people understand how different a place may look without these businesses.

Be part of it

Yorkshire: Where Your Micro Business and You Matter will launch on Saturday 1st August – Yorkshire Day. Interviews for the study will take place on Zoom up to and including Wednesday 15th July. If you have an interest in being part of Tina’s study she would love to hear from you.

You can get in touch with her in any of the following ways:

Email: tina@tinaboden.com
Twitter: @MicroBizGirl
Facebook: Tina Boden Micro Business Specialist
Instagram: @tinaboden
LinkedIn: Tina Boden