We are delighted and honoured that Tony Robinson OBE and Tina Boden have gifted the Small is Beautiful Roll of Honour to the Organisation for Responsible Businesses.
The Small is Beautiful Roll of Honour will be gradually integrated into our basic membership.
We will be joining Tony and Tina in Scarborough on Friday 25th March 2022 to celebrate the 8th #MicroBizMatters Day, hosted by Yorkshire in Business. This date will also be the ‘official’ transfer date.
In the meantime, we shall be inviting micro, small, and medium sized organisations currently registered in the Small is Beautiful Roll of Honour to apply for membership of ORB via the normal process but will only charge a nominal £10 to cover admin costs for the first year’s membership. Thereafter, annual/quarterly membership rates are as published.
Large organisations with 250+ plus employees that share the same values may wish to consider registering as ORB Supporters. Contact us for more information.
We have ensured that the six specific values of Small is Beautiful are integrated within our basic membership criteria and the additional course, certification options, and assessment processes we offer.
SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL VALUES
- #PayIn30Days ALL suppliers ALL the time
- Promoting equality and diversity
- A fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay
- Protecting our environment and communities
- Unlimited growth is pathological
- Small can make a difference and should be supported.
Why was Small is Beautiful launched?
In Tony’s words:
Ernst F. Schumacher published ‘Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered’ in 1973 – nearly fifty years ago. He conjectured then that many large corporations would never say ‘enough’ and would exploit employees and suppliers, engender inequality, and destroy our communities and the planet.
Sadly, that speculation has proved all too accurate.
Happily, there are a small number of large corporations and many medium-sized businesses which along with most small and micro business owners do believe in Schumacher’s ‘Small is Beautiful’ values.
It is important that we recognise these organisations and choose to do business with them.
The launch of the Small is Beautiful Roll of Honour was motivated by one of the most inspiring conferences I have ever attended, and the sad death a few years later of one of the co-founders of the event.
In 2015 I was fortunate to be asked to do my little ‘Micro is Magic’ show at the second ‘Small is Beautiful’ Conference in a prestigious Glasgow theatre with an enthusiastic group of speakers and audience of creative micro business owners from all over the world.
There was the shared belief at the Conference that we as micro business owners, in collaboration, can change the world for the better. Bigger is not always best for work and self-fulfilment, communities, and the environment. The pursuit of ever-increasing wealth is not the reason most people start their enterprises. Human activity shouldn’t be about the ‘rich get rich, and the poor get poorer’ (EF Schumacher & Leonard Cohen). The relentless pursuit of GDP, profits and ‘growth’ isn’t the only way ahead nor is it the best way. Smaller can be better.
As Schumacher said:
‘Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction’.
Roanne Dodds and Deborah Keogh showed that genius and that courage in co-founding and organising the Small is Beautiful Conference in 2014, 2015 and 2016. #Sadly, in early 2017, the truly inspirational, warm-hearted, dancer, lawyer and creative, Roanne died, aged 52.
Please watch this short but very moving video commissioned by Roanne to turn the long and impassioned Small is Beautiful Conference manifesto into concise values we can all share.