National Family Business Day is a chance to celebrate the businesses built not just around products and services, but around people, values, relationships and a vision for the future.
This year’s theme, “Built by Family. Trusted by Communities,” feels particularly relevant to us at Woolcool®.
As a family business, we know that building something to last is about more than financial success, it is about creating strong relationships, supporting the people around you, making responsible decisions and thinking about the generations that come next.
Across the UK, family businesses are doing exactly that.
The backbone of the UK economy
Family businesses make up the vast majority of private sector firms in the UK. In fact, family firms represent more than 93% of all private businesses, demonstrating just how significant they are to the UK economy.
Together, family businesses generate approximately £2.8 trillion in annual turnover and contribute around £985 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA).
Behind those figures are millions of people, thousands of communities and businesses of every size, from independent shops and manufacturers to innovative businesses operating on the global stage.
Supporting millions of people
Family businesses are also significant employers.
Across the UK, family firms employ around 15 million people, representing approximately 57% of private sector employment.
That means family businesses aren’t simply contributing to the economy; they are supporting livelihoods, creating careers and providing opportunities for people across the country.
For many family businesses, employees become part of an extended family too. Building a positive workplace, supporting people and creating an environment where individuals can grow can be just as important as growing the business itself.
At Woolcool®, our people are at the heart of what we do. Our family values shape the way we work, from being honest, kind and responsible to being creative and open-minded.
Rooted in our communities
One of the things that makes family businesses so special is their connection to the communities around them.
When a business has been part of a community for years, or even generations, its success is closely connected to the success of the people and places around it.
Family businesses often support local causes, work with other businesses, provide employment and contribute to community initiatives. They have a reason to think beyond the next quarter because they are building something they hope will still be here many years from now.
Being a family business means thinking about the impact we have on our people, our customers, our suppliers, our community and the environment.
Preserving expertise and building on it
Family businesses also have an important role to play in preserving knowledge, skills and experience.
Expertise can be passed from one generation to another, while each generation brings new ideas and perspectives of its own.
This combination of experience and innovation can be incredibly powerful.
Our family heritage is part of our identity, but it doesn’t mean standing still, we continue to learn, innovate and challenge ourselves to go beyond the expected. We also have our team who have become part of our family through their dedication and support of wanting what’s best for Woolcool®.
Trust is built over time
Trust isn’t something that can be created overnight, it is earned through consistency, honesty and the relationships built over time.
For family businesses, reputation can be particularly important, when your name is connected to the business, there is a personal sense of responsibility behind the decisions you make.
Customers want to know who they are buying from. Employees want to know who they are working for. Communities want to know that businesses operating around them care about their impact.
We don’t claim to have all the answers, and we know there is always more work to do. But our family values give us a foundation from which to keep learning, improving and taking responsibility for our impact.
A legacy worth building
The UK’s family businesses are incredibly diverse, but they share many of the same characteristics: resilience, long-term thinking, strong values and a commitment to building something that lasts.
Some have been around for centuries. In fact, RJ Balson and Son, a family butcher in Bridport, is recognised as the UK’s oldest family business, dating back to 1515.
While Woolcool®’s story is considerably younger, the principle is the same: build something that can grow, adapt and continue to make a difference.
For us, that means creating innovative temperature-controlled packaging from natural materials, supporting our people, working responsibly and continuing to develop the business as a force for good.
And perhaps that’s what makes family businesses so important.
They aren’t simply businesses owned by families.
They are businesses built by people, shaped by values and connected to the communities around them.
Celebrating family businesses across the UK
National Family Business Day provides an opportunity to recognise the millions of family businesses that contribute to the UK’s economy and communities every day.
From businesses that have been passed down through centuries to those just beginning their family journey, each has its own story to tell.
Here’s to the family businesses across the UK, the people, the values, the ideas and the legacies that make them what they are.
