• Rebecca Harris says microbusinesses are “large contributors to the local economy”
• Data from GoDaddy shows there are 0.54 microbusinesses for every 100 people in Castle Point
• Numbers of young entrepreneurs, female-led businesses and founders from minority ethnic backgrounds have all grown during the pandemic

Rebecca Harris has praised microbusinesses in Castle Point – those with fewer than 10 employees – as “a huge source of local pride and large contributors to the local economy”. Her comments come as part of a new campaign from web domain and web hosting firm, GoDaddy, which is celebrating the contribution of microbusinesses to their communities and the country.

GoDaddy’s Venture Forward project demonstrates the importance micro-businesses have on their communities and shows that there are 0.54 microbusinesses for every 100 people in Castle Point, making them a vital source of income and employment to many people in the area.

The data also reveals that – across Great Britain – the type of people starting their own businesses has shifted during the pandemic. For example, the percentage of start-up owners aged under 35 has more than doubled since March 2020, rising from 16.4% to 34%. Among this group, the proportion aged 18-24 has soared from just 1.7% pre-pandemic, to 8.6% in the two years after the COVID-19 outbreak.

The demographics of entrepreneurs have also started to become more diverse. The percentage of microbusiness owners who are female has risen from 32% pre-March 2020 to 39.8% in the months since, while the representation of business owners from minority ethnic groups is also gradually increasing. Black founders account for 5.4% of pre-pandemic businesses and 6.6% among those created after March 2020. The corresponding figures for Asian entrepreneurs are 10.1% pre-pandemic and 11.9% after it began.

Rebecca Harris MP said:

“It has been a tough couple of years for microbusinesses in Castle Point, but the resilience, innovation and dependability they’ve shown has been inspiring. This is a community that champions and supports its entrepreneurs and rightly so. They make a big contribution to the local economy.”

Ben Law, Head of GoDaddy UK, said:

“Put simply, the more microbusinesses there are in a community, the better the job prospects and finances of the people that live there. GoDaddy is a champion for small business and the everyday entrepreneur and our Venture Forward project demonstrates the importance micro-businesses have on their communities.”

Find out more about GoDaddy’s Venture Forward study, visit: https://www.godaddy.com/ventureforward/explore-the-data/gb-microbusiness-study/