FSB Scotland

21/10/2026

Scotland's public finances face significant pressures ahead of next year's Budget, but that also creates an opportunity to make choices that support growth and strengthen the economy for the long term.

In our pre-Budget submission to the Scottish Parliament's Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee, we've highlighted the huge contribution made by Scotland's small businesses and the potential gains that could come from improving the environment in which they operate.

Small firms account for 98% of all businesses in Scotland, support 940,000 jobs and generate £98 billion in annual turnover.

Even modest improvements could have a major impact. A 2% increase in employment among small businesses would create around 19,000 additional jobs. A 2% increase in turnover would add almost £2 billion to business revenues.

That's why we believe supporting small businesses should be at the heart of next year's Budget. Helping existing firms to grow and thrive offers one of the clearest, quickest and most sustainable ways to boost Scotland's economy.

Read more about our submission below 👇

21/10/2026

Fantastic networking event yesterday at EK Collective as part of the Lanarkshire Business Month Business Gateway! Great to see many small businesses and self-employed professional from Lanarkshrie and beyond getting together and making new connnections.

Massive thanks to today's speakers John from Benson Wood & Co and Judith from Tinto Procurement.

Our next Lanarkshire event is 17 November, but we also have our Glasgow event next week on 29 October - check all of our upcoming events here https://events.fsb.org.uk/en/8d2bI2X7/g/fJqTd8nh8e?search=&sortBy=date&category=&date=TODAY&keywords=region%20or%20nation:Scotland

20/10/2026

The Herald has launched a fantastic campaign today calling on the Scottish Government to "Reset the Rates" and lift some of the pressure on many of the country's small businesses.

Business rates are one of the biggest fixed costs for thousands of small firms who are facing mounting cost pressures, from hairdressers and cafes to motor mechanics and child care nurseries.

Many are facing significantly increased liabilities in the coming years following the recent rates revaluation and the freezing of thresholds for the Small Business Bonus Scheme.

Support is available to many of the smallest businesses but the rates relief system can be difficult to navigate and is applied inconsistently across the country.

The Herald's Reset the Rate campaign calls for a series of practical measures which will address many of the problems facing small businesses, including:

🔴 Adjust threshold for small business bonus scheme to ensure small firms remain within its scope

🔴 Create a national business rates assessor to avoid regional disparities within Scotland

🔴 Take action to prevent individual businesses being faced with sudden huge/ unaffordable increases in valuation cycles in future, learning from experience of most recent valuation round

🔴 A fairer deal for tourism accommodation and hospitality

19/10/2026

📢 Final call for our popular Lanarkshire networking event! As this is part of the inaugural Lanarkshire Business Month with Business Gateway, we have guest speakers who will talk about business growth strategy and how to get into public procurement. We look forward to seeing you there!

📅 Thu 20 October | 10:00AM
📍 EK Collective
👉 Book now : https://go.fsb.org.uk/4h6nGzj

19/10/2026

🏠 This week, our FSB Scotland in the business pages of The Press and Journal, features Mamta Patel of Braemore Space 🤩 "We need more agile government and council structures that are able and willing to think and act micro-locally for rural as well as urban areas... ⬇️ 👀

Mamta Patel said she has faced both economic uncertainty and preconceived stereotypes as an Asian businesswoman.

16/10/2026

The countdown is 🔛 for our popular Lanarkshire networking event! As this is part of the inaugural Lanarkshire Business Month with Business Gateway, we have guest speakers who will talk about business growth strategy and how to get into public procurement. We look forward to seeing you there!

📅 Thu 20 October | 10:00AM
📍 EK Collective
👉 Book now : https://go.fsb.org.uk/4h6nGzj

15/10/2026

2️⃣ weeks until our popular Glasgow networking event at FSB Scotland office! It's a perfect opportunity for small business owners in Glasgow and beyond to make new connections!

📅 Thu 29 October | 10:00AM
📍 FSB Scotland office in Glasgow
👉 Book now : https://go.fsb.org.uk/4gXu39v

14/10/2026

The countdown is 🔛 for our popular Lanarkshire networking event! As this is part of the inaugural Lanarkshire Business Month with Business Gateway, we have guest speakers who will talk about business growth strategy and how to get into public procurement. We look forward to seeing you there!

📅 Thu 20 October | 10:30AM
📍 EK Collective
👉 Book now : https://go.fsb.org.uk/4h6nGzj