England star’s new pitch as rugby ace Henry Pollock tries his hand at hairdressing
Flanker, 21, swapped tackles for trimmers and trained in barbering – among other skills – to highlight how small business owners often have to take on roles they never expected.
He’s used to tackling some of the toughest opponents in international rugby, but England star Henry Pollock has been taking on a very different kind of challenge. The 21-year-old flanker has swapped tackles for trimmers and trained in barbering – among other skills – to highlight how small business owners often have to take on roles they never expected.
Henry’s time off the pitch came as new research from small and medium enterprise (SME) finance platform Funding Circle revealed that Britain’s smaller businesses are struggling with a lack of marketing firepower.
More than half (51%) of owners say getting their company noticed by new customers is one of their biggest challenges to growth. One in three (34%) say they have good ideas for promoting their business but don’t always have the funding or resources to bring them to life.
England rugby star Henry Pollock features in a new film launching Funding Circle’s The Pitch (Image: Funding Circle)
The burden usually falls on owners themselves, with 49% managing their business’s social media accounts and 42% taking their own photographs and video content. More than a quarter (28%) have had to learn marketing skills they never expected to need. Henry headed to hairdressers, accountancy firms, building sites and coffee shops to highlight how tough it is for small businesses to get noticed.
His experiences are part of a new film which sees Funding Circle launch The Pitch, giving one UK SME the chance to win a professionally produced advert featuring PREM Rugby talent.
“Small businesses are a huge part of rugby, supporting clubs and communities up and down the country, so it’s great to have the chance to give something back,” Henry said.
“I’m used to being thrown into different positions on a rugby pitch, but going on loan as a barista, barber and accountant were definitely new ones for me. We had a lot of fun making the film, and I can’t wait to see what businesses come up with.”
Alexander Allen, managing director and chief customer officer at Funding Circle, said: “We know just how much hard work, ambition and creativity goes into running a small business. But having a great business is only half the battle.
“Getting it in front of the right people can be just as challenging, especially when you’re juggling everything else that comes with running a business.”
The Pitch is open to UK businesses with entries opening on October 20 and closing on November 3.
For full details go to https://www.fundingcircle.com/uk/rugby/competition/the-pitch/
