Sciver-Brunt and Broad help crown winners of Sage Small Business XI
England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt was delighted to be part of a special day as the winners of the Sage Small Business XI were announced.
Sciver-Brunt and fellow England great Stuart Broad were on hand to crown MyPocketSkill as one of 11 winners in the competition by Sage, the official accounting software partner of cricket’s The Hundred.
Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology for small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs), launched the competition as part of its partnership with The Hundred, receiving thousands of entries from unique small businesses with inspirational stories about why they started their businesses, their vision, and their ambitions for the future.
The winners receive a cash grant to support their business growth, promotion on the pitch side advertising boards at one match during The Hundred, plus tickets to The Hundred Final at Lords, networking opportunities with the other small business winners, and access to Sage’s innovative technology, insights, and expertise, helping alleviate the pressures they face as small business owners.
“As a small business owner myself, being able to visit and learn from others is really valuable,” said Sciver-Brunt, who will again play for Trent Rockets in the Hundred.
“We heard from Zara [Ransley], one of the co-founders, about how starting a business is obviously very difficult and all the challenges that come with it, which I’m aware of myself as well.
“So something like this competition and the funding they can get and the exposure as well is a real gamechanger for them.
“They had a pretty cool business helping young people to get career experience and to book freelance jobs online.
“Young people who didn’t have too much experience ages ago would be washing pots in a pub or doing paper rounds so they are using the skills that they already have and finding work and getting experience which is pretty cool.
“The fact that they can connect with other businesses who also won, means they build connections which is going to make a massive difference to them.
“It was great to see their reactions, there were some cricket fans in the office, it was great to meet everyone.
“To meet these people and learn their stories is a special part of that.”
Sciver-Brunt and Broad met MyPocketSkill co-founder Zara Ransley and learned more about the business, which operates a tech platform for young people to advertise their skills like tutoring or music lessons and also prioritises financial education for Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha.
The all-rounder spoke with employees, including one success story of MyPocketSkill who has gone on to be employed by the business.
Ransley said: “It was only last week that we found out. Matt, my co-founder, called me to let me know. We’re absolutely delighted and excited.
“There is a big read-across from financial education into sport. Many clubs, almost regardless of sport, view it as a key responsibility to give these financial capabilities to young sportsmen. Speaking to Stuart and Nat, super successful sportspeople, was really helpful.
“It gives us a buzz and we are looking forward to the game at Lord’s, with our branding being seen by all the fans in the stadium and on TV. Stuart and Nat are lovely people and it was great to talk so much about MyPocketSkill.”
Small businesses also have another chance to win with Sage this summer. Visit www.sage.com/behindthebadge to either nominate a small business or to enter your own small business for the chance to win marketing promotion with an EFL football club, plus chances to win tickets to an EFL regular season game.