The evidence

Research behind NoNetwork

NoNetwork exists because founders without a network get stuck on things a single conversation would solve. These are the findings we point to when we say that. Every claim below names its source, says what the source actually reports, and links straight to it so you can check it yourself.

Citing these organisations is not a claim of endorsement. NoNetwork is not affiliated with, funded by or endorsed by GOV.UK, the Department for Business and Trade, the British Business Bank, Start Up Loans, Grow London Local, the Mayor of London or the OECD.

Founder isolation and support

Survey evidence on how common loneliness and the mental load of running a business are among UK smaller-business owners.

startuploans.co.uk5 December 2025

44%

of UK smaller-business owners said they had felt lonely or isolated while running their business.

What the source says: In a YouGov survey published by Start Up Loans (British Business Bank) on 5 December 2025, 44% of UK smaller-business owners said they had felt lonely or isolated while running their business. The figure rose to 56% among microbusiness owners.

Why it matters for NoNetwork — our interpretation, not part of the study

Isolation is a normal part of running a small business, not a personal failing. NoNetwork is built for the founder who has nobody to ask.

Start Up Loans / British Business Bank — Almost half of UK smaller business leaders feel isolated running their business (YouGov survey), 5 December 2025 (opens in a new tab)

startuploans.co.uk5 December 2025

65%

of owners of businesses trading for less than a year reported feeling lonely or isolated.

What the source says: The same Start Up Loans survey found the highest rate of reported loneliness or isolation among businesses trading for less than a year, at 65%.

Why it matters for NoNetwork — our interpretation, not part of the study

The first year is when a founder has the least network and the most need for one, which is exactly where we start.

Start Up Loans / British Business Bank — Almost half of UK smaller business leaders feel isolated running their business (YouGov survey), 5 December 2025 (opens in a new tab)

startuploans.co.uk5 December 2025

55%

wished they had someone they could turn to for support.

What the source says: In the Start Up Loans survey, 55% of respondents said they wished they had someone they could turn to for support, and 64% said they felt the constant mental load of responsibility. Among the ways owners deal with this, 38% connect with other business leaders and 34% join networks or professional associations.

Why it matters for NoNetwork — our interpretation, not part of the study

The stated need is a person to ask, not more content. That is the whole shape of an ask-and-give-help network.

Start Up Loans / British Business Bank — Almost half of UK smaller business leaders feel isolated running their business (YouGov survey), 5 December 2025 (opens in a new tab)

Value of advice and peer networks

UK government evidence on what happens when smaller businesses use external advice, and on peer-group support programmes.

GOV.UK2025

27%

of SME employers sought external information or advice in 2024 — rising to 44% of medium-sized businesses.

What the source says: The GOV.UK Longitudinal Small Business Survey 2024 for SME employers reports that 27% of SME employers sought external information or advice in 2024. The figure was 44% among medium-sized businesses.

Why it matters for NoNetwork — our interpretation, not part of the study

Seeking outside advice is normal behaviour for established businesses. Founders without a network simply have nobody to seek it from.

GOV.UK (Department for Business and Trade) — Longitudinal Small Business Survey 2024: SME employers (businesses with 1 to 249 employees), 2025 (opens in a new tab)

GOV.UK2025

22%

of advice-seeking SME employers used business networks or trade associations — up from 19% in 2023 and 17% in 2022.

What the source says: The Longitudinal Small Business Survey 2024 for SME employers reports that 22% of advice-seeking SME employers used business networks or trade associations, up from 19% in 2023 and 17% in 2022.

Why it matters for NoNetwork — our interpretation, not part of the study

Networks are a growing, recognised advice channel. NoNetwork exists for the founders who do not have one yet.

GOV.UK (Department for Business and Trade) — Longitudinal Small Business Survey 2024: SME employers (businesses with 1 to 249 employees), 2025 (opens in a new tab)

GOV.UK2025

17%

of businesses with no employees sought external information or advice in 2024; 23% of those used business networks or trade associations.

What the source says: The Longitudinal Small Business Survey 2024 for businesses with no employees reports that 17% sought external information or advice, and that among those seeking it, 23% used business networks or trade associations.

Why it matters for NoNetwork — our interpretation, not part of the study

Solo founders seek advice least and are least likely to have a network to ask — the exact gap an open ask-and-help network fills.

GOV.UK (Department for Business and Trade) — Longitudinal Small Business Survey 2024: businesses with no employees, 2025 (opens in a new tab)

GOV.UK

22%

average increase in labour productivity for businesses accessing external advice, compared with businesses that had not.

What the source says: The GOV.UK 'Backing your business: evidence annex' reports that businesses accessing external advice saw an average 22% increase in labour productivity compared with businesses that had not used external advice.

Why it matters for NoNetwork — our interpretation, not part of the study

Asking someone outside your own head is associated with measurably better outcomes, which is what an ask is for.

GOV.UK (Department for Business and Trade) — Backing your business: evidence annex (opens in a new tab)

GOV.UKAugust 2026

82%

of surveyed businesses rated advisory support as important in the UKSPF Support for Local Businesses evaluation.

What the source says: The final evaluation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Support for Local Businesses intervention, published in August 2026, reports that advisory support was reported as important by 82% of surveyed businesses.

Why it matters for NoNetwork — our interpretation, not part of the study

When businesses actually receive advisory support, the overwhelming majority value it. The problem is getting it in the first place.

GOV.UK (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) — UKSPF intervention level evaluation: final findings report — Support for Local Businesses (executive summary), August 2026 (opens in a new tab)

GOV.UKAugust 2026

63%

of surveyed businesses reported a significant or moderate impact of UKSPF support on turnover. The support combined grants and advice.

What the source says: The UKSPF Support for Local Businesses final evaluation reports that 63% of surveyed businesses reported a significant or moderate impact of the support on their turnover. The intervention combined grants with advisory support, so this result cannot be attributed to advice alone.

Why it matters for NoNetwork — our interpretation, not part of the study

We cite this carefully: support packages including advice coincided with reported turnover impact. It is evidence that structured support matters, not that advice alone causes growth.

GOV.UK

Peer groups

The national Peer Networks programme was designed to improve SME productivity and resilience.

What the source says: GOV.UK's Peer Networks evaluation reports describe a national programme explicitly designed to improve SME productivity and resilience through action-learning peer groups alongside one-to-one support.

Why it matters for NoNetwork — our interpretation, not part of the study

Peer help between founders is an established policy approach, not a novelty. NoNetwork runs it online and open to anyone.

GOV.UK (Department for Business and Trade) — Peer Networks evaluation reports (opens in a new tab)

Access to the right support

Evidence that the problem is often not the amount of business support available, but finding the right support at the right time.

GOV.UK

49% → 26%

business support uptake fell between 2010 and 2023; 71% of regional stakeholders flagged lack of awareness as a key barrier.

What the source says: The GOV.UK 'Backing your business: evidence annex' reports that business support uptake fell from 49% in 2010 to 26% in 2023. It also reports that 71% of regional stakeholders flagged lack of awareness as a key barrier, and 43% of national stakeholders highlighted the complicated support landscape. The same annex reports that businesses accessing external advice saw an average 22% increase in labour productivity.

Why it matters for NoNetwork — our interpretation, not part of the study

Support exists but uptake keeps falling because people cannot find it. A direct question to a person beats navigating a complicated landscape.

GOV.UK (Department for Business and Trade) — Backing your business: evidence annex (opens in a new tab)

growlondonlocal.london

1m+

SMEs in London, and it is often difficult for them to find and access the right support at the right time.

What the source says: Grow London Local's About page states there are more than one million SMEs in London and that it is often difficult for them to find and access the right support at the right time. Its FAQ adds that there is no lack of business support in London, but it can be hard to know which support is right.

Why it matters for NoNetwork — our interpretation, not part of the study

Discovery is the bottleneck, not supply. Being able to ask a specific question and reach someone who can answer it is the missing step.

Grow London Local — About us (opens in a new tab)

growlondonlocal.london

3,550

entrepreneurs helped to access support, across 298 support providers listed in London.

What the source says: Grow London Local's online support page states that it has helped 3,550 entrepreneurs access support and lists 298 support providers across London.

Why it matters for NoNetwork — our interpretation, not part of the study

Matching founders to the right help at scale is a real, measured activity. NoNetwork does the peer-to-peer half of it.

Grow London Local — Online support (opens in a new tab)

Inclusive and online networks

Policy research on who struggles to get into entrepreneurial networks, and what online networks change.

OECD

Online reach

Under-represented entrepreneurs can struggle to join networks; online networks remove physical-distance barriers.

What the source says: An OECD policy paper notes that disadvantaged or under-represented entrepreneurs can struggle to join entrepreneurial networks, and that online networks offer the added advantage of removing barriers of physical distance.

Why it matters for NoNetwork — our interpretation, not part of the study

Where you live and who you already know should not decide whether you get help. That is the reason NoNetwork is online and free for founders.

OECD — Entrepreneurial activities in Europe: expanding networks for inclusive entrepreneurship (opens in a new tab)

Further sources

Grow London Local — Contact us / FAQ (opens in a new tab)

Methodology and transparency

None of this research is ours. Every figure is published by the organisation named beside it, and we quote it as closely as we can rather than reworking it. Where a source describes something qualitatively, we keep it qualitative instead of inventing a number.

Source pages were checked in September 2026. Figures can change when the publishing organisation updates its own page or releases new data, so treat the linked source as authoritative if it differs from what you read here. Tell us if you spot something out of date.

Anything under "Why it matters for NoNetwork" is our own view of why the finding is relevant. It is not a finding, claim or recommendation of the source organisation.

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