Below the radar. Unlocking the ‘nano’ potential in the UK’s creative industries.

In this document, Creative United sets out the economic case for recognising “nano” enterprises as a separate category of business, as well as the need for increased investment in sector-specific business support for the many thousands of creative enterprises which fall within this dominant segment of the UK’s creative industries.

Nano businesses are the coral reef of our creative ecosystem. Their survival is fragile, but with the right conditions they will flourish and grow.

While some enterprises may evolve into much larger entities, the vast majority of those that make up this uniquely varied and essential layer of the creative economy will remain closer to the seabed.

This provides the micro-structures and climate within which they are most likely to thrive. While we welcome the investment and targeted interventions set out in the government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan, we are concerned that the continued emphasis on “high-growth potential” is overshadowing the importance of supporting the livelihoods of freelance creatives and those trading as nano enterprises.

This is something we believe should be addressed as a matter of urgency. Both through investment in sector-specific support and a reduction in regulatory burdens faced by the smallest entities, rather than super-charging opportunities only for those that have the appetite and capacity to scale.

We hope that this paper will provide food for thought for policy makers, funders and investors by looking again at the make-up of the UK’s
creative sector, as well as for the creative community itself and in how it is both perceived and represented at a governmental level.

Our objective is to find new ways of defining and expressing the economic value and growth potential of creative nano enterprises and, through this, an understanding of the economic climate and conditions within which they have the greatest opportunity to flourish and grow as a vital part of our creative ecosystem.

If you have any thoughts or comments on the themes addressed in this document, please get in touch. We are open to discussion and would love to hear from you.

Mary-Alice Stack
Chief Executive, Creative United
mary-alice.stack@creativeunited.org.uk

Read: Below the radar. Unlocking the 'nano' potential in the UK's creative industries.