4 years ago we started a project - almost by mistake if truth be told - that today is one of the world's leading initiatives to support small and medium sized businesses, active in over 451 cities and communities across 27 countries, from Afghanistan to Nigeria to South Africa to Italy to Switzerland etc. 

SMEs/Entrepreneurs are the backbone of the world's economy and job creation (in some countries such as Switzerland 75% of all people employed work for an SME - defined as up to 250 people in size).

Yet SMEs and entrepreneurs are rarely properly supported. The few initiatives that do exist are focused on the next unicorn (i.e. identifying the next uber, etc) and not on the hundreds of millions of small and medium local businesses - from the little cafe' to the laundrymat to the plumber to the consultant to the local store. These are what drives the economy, creates jobs and if often the pollinator in the world's innovation ecosystem. 

So this is a call to all of you to join us in recognising the importance of small and medium sized businesses... not the next big tech company necessarily (absolutely nothing against them! They also play an important role) but rather driving more attention to the importance of the small guys and girls out there making the world turn. The more attention we give them the more we will influence policy makers to create more SME friendly legislation and rules (the amount of time an SME has to dedicate to compliance is astounding when there are countless solutions out there than could simplify this).

So this in an invitation to....

1. Support an SME by sharing their profile on social media - doesn't matter which platform - to help them get more visibility. Eg. "Today I want to tell you about an amazing hairdresser in our neighbourhood... to recognise their talent but also to support more SMEs. etc..." - The idea is to give them what they need most: visibility!
2. Become an SME/Entrepreneurship Ambassador on LinkedIn! Click LinkedIn Entrepreneurship Ambassador to add this title to your LinkedIn profile and help drive more attention to the important of SMEs worldwide! There is NO commercial angle with this.
3. Try where you can to buy from SMEs! Give them a chance.

On behalf of all small businesses out there, thank you for your kind consideration. It truly takes a community to raise an entrepreneur.

York and The StartUp Tribe Family