Social media entrepreneur and TV celebrity Steven Bartlett is launching a series of documentary films to help small businesses use digital technology. The ‘Digital SOS’ series, in partnership with Vodafone Business, comes after research revealed that it could blow a £49.5BILLION hole in the UK economy if significant number of small businesses fail to thrive.

TV Dragon Bartlett will front three films where he talks to bosses of struggling small firms and gives them tips on how to use technology to make their businesses more efficient and grow profits. Each episode demonstrates how using free business resources available on the Small and Medium Business Support website can help boost profitability and growth.

The initiative follows research which found that a quarter of all SMEs barely make a profit, while one in eight just break even or make a loss. Almost one in three fear they might not survive the next two years. At the same time half of all small firms believe they could improve profitability and efficiency by making better use of digital technology, but 40 per cent say they don’t have the knowledge or know where to get help.

Steven Bartlett said: “SMEs are the backbone of our economy and it’s alarming to see the detrimental effect it would have on the economy if a significant proportion SMEs were to fail simply through not embracing digital technology.

“But there is much that can be done to avoid that reality, there is a whole world of opportunities that SMEs can take advantage of by boosting their digital skills and making greater use of technology. Our hope is that this documentary series will provide business owners with the inspiration they need to boost their digital skills and improve their futures.”

The first episode in the series sees Steven visit the Apex Gym in Bishop’s Stortford, Herts, to help its founder Amelia Lawes, 28, turn the business around. Launched in 2018, the Apex Gym provides coaching to kids and adults with disabilities. Like many SMEs, the business has struggled since the COVID-19 outbreak.

To try to steady the financial ship, Amelia set up a Go Fund Me page with the goal of reaching £10,000. Having been moved by Amelia’s plight, the documentary reveals that Steven felt inclined to donate the full £10,000 himself.

Amelia said “Having opened my community gym in 2018, then trying to keep afloat like many other small businesses through the pandemic was super hard, and then trying to recover.

“This whole experience has been eye-opening, to clearly see all the benefits a sound digital strategy can have, in not only developing your business opportunities but also keeping you on trend in the digital world we now live in.”

Jo Wedlock, Head of Business Marketing, Demand & Comms, Vodafone Business UK said: “Small businesses owners are often their own marketing, PR, social media, HR, accounting and sales departments rolled into one, and having to juggle those responsibilities collectively often leaves little time to brush up on digital skills.

“However, devising a robust digital strategy needn’t be so complicated or time consuming for time poor business owners. That’s why we’ve launched ‘Digital SOS’, a new documentary series with Steven Bartlett to demonstrate simple tactics to help small business owners make better use of their digital skills - which are no longer a nice to have - but an imperative to help small businesses weather challenging market conditions and boost growth.”