People are acutely aware of how hard the coronavirus pandemic has hit the UK economy, with friends and family facing uncertainty and even redundancies, and companies disappearing from our high streets. As the country enters what it is hoped will be the start of an economic recovery phase, the threat of further virus spikes loomed and almost a quarter of the working population was at risk of becoming unemployed in the coming months. The government is rightly focused on getting people back into work. However, not focusing on the creation of small businesses across the UK is to miss a trick. Small businesses employs almost 50 per cent of the workforce and contributes most of the job growth. Octopus Group, which employs more than 1,000 people, started with three people in a living room in 2000. Many of its employees have left to start their own businesses.