Simply Business, one of the UK’s largest providers of small business insurance has partnered with comedian and king of puns Darren Walsh to find Britain’s Best Small Business Name. With Darren’s knowledge of puns, he has selected the ten shortlisted businesses. Which includes Thready or Knott Embroidery, Indian-inspired street food business Tikka Chance On Me, and equestrian shop Top Of The Clops, who are all in for a chance to win the title and £2,500 cash prize.

The UK public can now vote for their favourite small business name on the Simply Business website: https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/britains-best-small-business-name/

The voting closes on 13th May and the winner of the £2,500 prize will be announced on 23 May 2024.

The full shortlist for 2024 includes:
Business Name
Business Type
Location
Barber Streisand
Barbers
London
Easy Lay Landscaping
Landscaping
Milton Keynes
Furry Godmothers
Dog groomers
Newport
Lord Of The Bins
Waste clearance
Brighton
Poke Nom
Hawaiian Street food
London
Prints Charming
Printing shop
Fife
Surelock Homes Locksmiths
Locksmiths
Hastings
Thready or Knott Embroidery
Embroidery shop
Chester
Tikka Chance On Me
Indian-inspired street food
Manchester
Top Of The Clops
Equestrian shop
Somerset

The competition has been relaunched for the third time alongside the company’s “You name it. We insure it” campaign, which features some of the punniest names in UK small business including:

Pane in the Glass – window and door repairs firm in Norfolk
Get Stuffed – takeaway restaurant in Shadwell, London
Curl Up and Dye – hairdressing salon in Kingston, South London
Rough Around The Hedges – mobile gardener in Elmbridge, Surrey

Research by Simply Business revealed that a witty or funny business name has a significant role in helping small businesses succeed – with half (51%) of consumers saying they’re likely (35%) or very likely (16%) to shop at a small business with a funny or witty business name. Almost two thirds (65%) of consumers say a funny or witty business name tells them a business is imaginative and original. Moreover four in five (81%) consumers prefer to shop with a small or local business over a large, well-known, international business.

Bea Montoya, COO at Simply Business said “We’ve seen many memorable entries to this year’s Britain’s Best Small Business Name competition, and it’s a credit to the creativity and innovation of the nation’s SME owners. Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and this competition sums up the wonderful spirit and humour that they bring to their businesses every day.

“We’re delighted to be able to award one small business owner with the £2,500 cash prize, particularly as all SMEs are facing an incredibly challenging set of circumstances in the current economic environment. Vote for your favourite small business name now to have your say in who wins the title of Britain’s Best Small Business Name!”

Darren Walsh, comedian said “Puns and wordplay seem to have a special place in British culture, so it’s heartening to see that type of humour is central to the names of so many small businesses.It’s been a tough job to whittle down the thousands of entries to a shortlist of ten, but I’m sure these business names will trigger a few involuntary laughs from the public.

Whether you’re partial to ‘Easy Lay Landscaping’ or ‘Barber Streisand’, it’s up to you to crown Britain’s Best Small Business Name 2024.”