Pandemic Could Spark a ‘Rural Revolution’ for Small Businesses

Rural Enterprise , 12th August 2020

Could the Covid-19 pandemic accelerate a rural revolution and see more businesses move to or start up in the Welsh countryside?

That was the question considered by a panel during NatWest Cymru’s debate, Entrepreneurism and SMEs in Rural Wales, at the Virtual Royal Welsh Show.

Siwan Rees, NatWest’s Entrepreneurship Development Manager for Wales, who chaired the session, said:

“Is this a turn in the tide? You can run your business from anywhere – we may see people following their dreams and moving to rural Wales to run their businesses.”

Angharad Harding, Business Manager of the Focus Carmarthen Enterprise Hub, said that a rural setting offered a sense of community which was important when setting up or growing a business. Lockdown had demonstrated to many that cutting out a commute into a major town or city was beneficial, she said, both for individuals and for businesses.

Siwan said that a renewed focus on rural enterprises could help female-led businesses to start up and grow. Support from a community isn’t only about formal business support, she said, but could take on the form of help with childcare, which might be lost if an entrepreneur felt they had to move from a rural location to a town or city in order to set up their business.

Josh Winfield, NatWest’s Business Builder Manager, said that in order to reach their potential rural businesses needed to be encouraged to reach out to that wider community for support.

“There’s an expectation from entrepreneurs that ‘I have to be good at everything, and I have to be good at everything now’,” he said. “That’s an unreasonable expectation. We have to break down that barrier – asking for help is not a mark of weakness. As an entrepreneur it’s a mark of strength, and it’s a way of getting ahead. The support is there – it’s fine to take it.”

NatWest Business Builder is a free digital Accelerator programme for entrepreneurs at all stages, from start-up to business growth. It includes an online portal with training modules, regular digital workshops, and an online community.

Rob Basini, Development Manager with the Federation of Small Businesses, said a number of barriers needed to be addressed to make sure rural economies met their potential, including digital connectivity and physical infrastructure.

He said:

“We have called for a Taskforce for rural development. There needs to be strong leadership which takes into account those differences between sectors, between different rural areas and between those different economies.”