A Display Stand Inside the Most Famous Door in Britain
There are milestones in building a small business that you simply cannot plan for. Moments that arrive unexpectedly such as setting up a JustBe Botanicals display stand inside No.10 Downing Street!
As part of the Small Business Saturday 100, I was invited to No.10 for the official campaign launch. Alongside other inspiring independent businesses from across the UK, JustBe had a stall inside one of the most iconic and recognisable addresses in the world. Standing in that space, with our hand-blended products on display in the heart of British political life, was a surreal and genuinely wonderful.
Meeting the Minister for Small Business
At the event, Margot James, the then Minister for Small Business, gave an inspiring keynote speech celebrating the vital economic contribution of the UK's 5.4 million small businesses, their creativity, their resilience and the communities they sustain.
Her words resonated deeply. Small businesses are not a footnote in the economy. They are the economy's beating heart and moments like Small Business Saturday exist to remind us all of that.
Why Shopping & Supporting Small Businesses Matters
Every time someone chooses an independent business, they are making a decision that ripples outward. They're supporting a real person, sustaining a community, keeping something distinctive and purposeful alive.
At JustBe Botanicals, we know that our customers' choices are the reason we exist. Every order, every gift, every repeat purchase is a vote of confidence in what we do and we never take that for granted.
Shopping small isn't just a nice idea, it's one of the most direct and powerful ways to create the kind of economy and community worth living in.
A Year to Be Grateful For
The Small Business Saturday 100 recognition and the invitation to No.10 that came with it was the culmination of a remarkable year for JustBe Botanicals. A year that had taken us from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a national bus tour to the steps of Downing Street.
With enormous gratitude to everyone who has supported JustBe, your choices make all the difference, Gail