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Business Secretary Peter Kyle recently urged SMEs to take a “leap of faith” into exporting, highlighting a continued decline in the proportion of UK companies that have ever exported. The figure has fallen in recent years, and reversing that trend has become a clear priority.

While the conversation is framed around exporting, the wider implication is much bigger. This is fundamentally about SME growth, and how businesses scale in a more competitive and global economy.

For founders, exporting is often positioned as an external step. In reality, it is one of the clearest indicators that a business is ready to scale.

Exporting as a Growth Lever

International expansion is often spoken about in terms of new markets and new customers, but its real impact is deeper than geography. It forces a business to mature.

When SMEs start exporting, they are often required to tighten operations, improve internal systems, strengthen their brand positioning and become more structured in how they deliver. That process alone can accelerate growth, even before significant international revenue is achieved.

As Peter Kyle noted following discussions with businesses across Asia and Europe, demand for UK products and services remains strong, with a continued “thirst for Britain”. The opportunity is not disappearing. The challenge lies in how many SMEs feel ready to take it on.

For a large number of businesses, the limitation is not ambition. It is readiness, clarity and access to the right support.

£11 Billion Backing for Ambition

There is also increasing financial backing aimed at helping businesses grow.

A recent £11 billion lending package from major UK banks, supported by UK Export Finance, is designed to give businesses more capacity to invest, hire and expand. Although positioned around exporting, in practice it provides SMEs with the flexibility to build capability and scale more broadly.

With up to 80% of eligible loans guaranteed, access to capital is becoming less of a barrier for founders who are ready to move from stability into expansion.

Alongside funding, advisory support is also being strengthened, helping SMEs make more informed decisions about how they grow and where they invest.

Where Scaling Conversations Happen

As more founders start to explore what growth looks like in practice, the need for practical advice and meaningful connections continues to increase.

The Business Show London brings together over 25,000 SME owners and decision-makers who are actively looking for ways to grow, improve and scale their businesses.

Across the event, founders can access expert insight, operational support and suppliers covering every stage of the business journey. It is not just about ideas, but about execution.

For businesses that support SMEs, whether in logistics, finance, marketing or operations, it is a direct opportunity to connect with decision-makers at the exact point they are looking for solutions to grow.

A Window of Opportunity

With government support increasing, financing becoming more accessible and demand for UK businesses remaining strong, the conditions for SME growth are improving.

Exporting is part of that picture, but the wider story is scale.

For ambitious SMEs, the opportunity is not just about expanding internationally. It is about building stronger, more resilient businesses that can grow in any direction.

And for the partners who enable that growth, the timing to be present in those conversations is now.