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Meet the small businesses who won big at HSBC UK’s Small Business Growth Awards
Britain's small businesses don't just fill the gaps between the giants. They are driving the UK’s economy: employing more than half the private sector workforce, creating innovation in every corner of the country—and very often run by someone who quit their corporate job, remortgaged their house, and decided to back themselves.
It is precisely this spirit of self-belief that HSBC UK aims to nurture with its Small Business Growth Programme. The initiative was built on the conviction that the right support at the right time can make the difference between a good idea becoming a side hustle or growing into a truly impactful business, whether measured by profit, employees or influence.
Created by WIRED Consulting in partnership with HSBC UK
HSBC UK Awards
This year, HSBC UK went one step further and launched their inaugural Small Business Growth Awards: a nationwide search to find and champion the founders building the country’s most successful firms. “The idea came about after relationship managers in our regional hubs across the UK saw up close the successes in their entrepreneurial ecosystems,” explains Tom Wood, Head of SME Business Banking at HSBC UK. “We wanted to celebrate the fact that small businesses are such a powerful force for growth in communities across the country.” Organised in partnership with Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), the awards lured applications from nearly 3,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Small businesses, big numbers
In a sign of the economic clout of Britain’s SMEs, the 80 regional winners and 160 runners-up selected by judges collectively turn over £600 million, and employ almost 5,000 people. Regional finalists were celebrated across ten awards dinners around the UK in April and May, before eight were crowned national category champions at the National Awards Final in June. “We were all incredibly inspired by the quality of the entries,” Wood adds. “They all showed the true passion entrepreneurs have for their businesses. Beyond the gloomy headlines, the UK’s small business owners are seeing huge opportunities for growth, are pushing boundaries and making connections—as the award winners show.”
More than a trophy cabinet
The process itself, not just the prizes, proved unexpectedly valuable for those who entered. James Metcalfe, who co-founded e-bike business VOLT with his brother Lyle in 2011, first heard about the awards when the firm's HSBC relationship manager visited their London Bridge store for a coffee. “We applied, but genuinely didn't think we'd win,” says James. “The biggest surprise was how valuable simply applying was. Sitting down and writing about your business forces you to take a step back and properly assess what you've achieved, which most business owners rarely make time to do. It gives you the chance to look at your business through someone else's eyes, recognise how far you've come, and perhaps realise you're doing a better job than you give yourself credit for.”
The judges certainly saw merit in VOLT’s work, awarding it both an HSBC Regional Customer Champion Award for the London region and the national Family Business Award. This was in part a recognition of its commercial success. James was inspired to launch the business after travelling through China and spotting the proliferation of e-scooters. “I thought, there's got to be a way to get this technology into bikes, and get more people excited about travelling on two wheels,” he explained. The hunch worked: the company has sold 30,000 e-bikes, all built in its 20,000 square-foot factory in Milton Keynes. But the awards were also about the company’s priorities: customer-centric, environmentally focussed, health-conscious. Now the awards win has, James says, “given us affirmation, as the core values we've built VOLT around have been recognised on a national stage. As founders, that's incredibly rewarding.”
The brothers hope their win will open new doors. The prizes include mentorship from businesswoman and broadcaster Sara Davies MBE, as well as senior leaders from HSBC UK and accountancy firm EY. “We’re self-funded, with no experience of taking on investment or securing backers,” says Lyle. "We're looking forward to discussing during our mentoring sessions the best possible finance options for growth, to take VOLT into Europe. We can see there's huge opportunities out there for us to seize.”
A business boost
For other winners, the award has delivered something equally powerful: credibility. James Hamerton, managing director of Norwich-based Rhino Perimeter Security, won the Best Micro Business National award. It’s been a rapid ascent for Hamerton, who moved from a marketing role in London to take over his father's family firm, which specialises in telescopic security bollards for clients including McLaren, Lamborghini and UK councils. Rhino's turnover has grown from £650,000 to £2.1 million in three years. “Having gone through some pretty dark times in the last few years, winning felt like validation for all the hard work put in by the team,” Hamerton says. Navigating the rising costs of steel, courier rates and diesel costs makes this a challenging moment for his sector—but the award, he argued, will change the conversation with new customers. “For the first time we can say, ‘we are an award-winning business’. It's a differentiator from our competitors, and hopefully will increase prospective customers' level of confidence in our ability to deliver great work.”
For HSBC UK and FSB, these other benefits were always the point. “The ambition was never simply to hand out trophies,” says Wood. “It was to show that Britain's small businesses are already doing something extraordinary, and that with the right recognition and support, they're only getting started.”
Let’s meet the rest of the winners…
The eight national category champions represent the remarkable breadth of Britain's small business community. From gut-health drinks to safety helmets, van conversions to structural engineering, their offerings span nearly every sector, and the companies themselves span practically every region and stage of growth…
- Manchester drinks brand Hip Pop, winner of the Expansion & Growth Award, has locked in triple-digit growth for three consecutive years since launching its gut-health range in 2019. It now sells a can every four seconds across 12,200 UK outlets. Co-founder Emma Thackray says the award “feels like a real marker of how far we’ve come. What started as a small operation has grown into something with genuine momentum.”
- Colchester-based Vanlife Conversions, winner of the Service Excellence Award, grew out of founders Emily and Oli Arnold converting their own Peugeot Boxer for a European road trip in 2018. It's now a nationwide bespoke conversion business. “Winning this award is a great achievement for our team and a proud moment for the business,” says Oli Arnold.
- Evoke Country & Equestrian, the Hertfordshire-based winner of the Start-Up Business Award, exists because its founder, David Mitson, suffered a concussion from a minor riding fall. Evoke’s £125 safety helmet is now part of a range sold globally, and offers a free helmet replacement scheme to improve rider safety.
- GottaBe! Ethnic, winner of the Diversity & Inclusion Award, was founded by Polish migrant Tomasz Dyl at 17. Nearly two decades on, with offices in London and Southampton, it helps brands including JustEat and Western Union reach diverse audiences.
- Not-for-profit The Lennox Partnership, winner of the Community Award, has placed 19,000 people into employment in post-industrial communities. Founded in 1988 to help regenerate Clydebank, Scotland, it has supported deprived communities for 37 years, focusing on young people, families and those facing health, neurodiversity or justice-related barriers.
- Michael Aubrey Structural Engineers, the Wokingham winner of the Innovation Award, has pioneered in-situ repair techniques for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, saving public infrastructure from demolition.
- Rhino Perimeter Security won the Micro Business Award.
- VOLT bikes won the Family Business Award.