As the year draws to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on where we stand in both our personal and professional lives. Are you working to make a difference? Are you driven to make an impact? Or, are you simply working to meet your needs? These are important questions to ask as we move into the new year, as they can provide clarity and purpose for the year ahead.

Working to Make a Difference

For some, the drive to make a difference is a powerful motivator. Whether it’s within a community, workplace, or in personal relationships, striving to create a positive impact can be deeply fulfilling. However, it’s important to ask whether your efforts align with your personal values and long-term goals. Are you directing your energy towards things that resonate with you? Reflecting on these questions can help ensure your work remains meaningful and sustainable in the long term.

Being Driven to Make a Difference

Feeling driven to make a difference can be a powerful force, providing the motivation to push forward and take action. However, passion alone is not enough—it needs direction. If you’re driven to make a difference, consider how you are turning that drive into tangible actions. Evaluating how your motivation translates into practical steps can help turn aspirations into concrete achievements.

When You’re Not Sure If You’re Making a Difference

For many, the demands of everyday life can leave little room for bigger ambitions. If you’re unsure whether you’re making a difference or feel that your efforts don’t matter, remember that this is a common feeling. Meeting life’s basic needs, particularly in challenging times, is an achievement in itself. However, if you feel a desire to do more, the new year offers an opportunity to start small. Making a difference doesn’t always mean grand gestures—often, the smallest actions can have the most profound impact.

Working to Make Ends Meet

For those focused on simply making ends meet, it’s important to recognize that survival and providing for your family are essential and honorable pursuits. The pressure to be driven by a larger purpose can feel overwhelming when you’re focused on daily needs. Even in the midst of the ordinary, there can be meaning found in acts of kindness, connecting with others, or taking pride in the daily efforts that sustain you.

Looking Ahead to the New Year

As we approach the new year, it’s not about judging or categorizing where you stand, but about encouraging self-awareness. Understanding where you are now can help you set meaningful goals for the future. Whether your goal is to make a big difference or make small, meaningful changes, everything begins with intention.

Take time to reflect, set achievable goals that align with both your current situation and your aspirations, and let those goals guide you toward a year filled with purpose and self-discovery.

A new government-backed initiative will be established to represent the UK’s mid-sized businesses, which have long been overlooked despite their significant contribution to the economy. According to a NatWest report, these “unsung” firms could add an additional £115 billion to the UK economy by 2030, driving growth, particularly in regions outside of London and the southeast.

Mid-sized businesses make up just 0.5% of UK companies but employ over 7.3 million people, more than a quarter of the private sector workforce. These firms play a vital role in key areas such as the West Midlands, northeast England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and Scotland, the report revealed. Despite their importance, challenges such as skill shortages, poor regional infrastructure, and a lack of representation have hindered their growth.

Unlike Germany’s Mittelstand, where mid-market firms benefit from a strong collective identity and advocacy platform, the UK’s mid-sized businesses have struggled to find a unified voice. Their interests are often overshadowed by larger corporations and small business groups.

To address this gap, a new “mid-market council” will be launched in 2025, supported by NatWest and the Department for Business and Trade. The council will serve as a collective voice for mid-sized firms, representing key industries and tackling critical issues such as infrastructure, planning, and skills shortages.

Paul Thwaite, CEO of NatWest, emphasized the need for greater visibility for mid-sized businesses. “They don’t have a collective voice. There’s a lot of talk about small businesses, and large corporates have their own platform. These businesses need to be treated as a distinct segment,” he said.

The NatWest report also highlighted that mid-sized firms are disproportionately affected by poor infrastructure, including transport, broadband, housing, and grid connectivity, especially outside the southeast. Additionally, a lack of skilled workers and restrictive planning regulations have further impeded their ability to grow and innovate.

Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, welcomed the creation of the new council, noting that mid-sized businesses have the potential to outpace other sectors in growth, exports, and productivity. He added that the council would help “amplify their voice” and unlock the untapped potential in this important segment of the economy.

The establishment of the mid-market council marks a significant step toward supporting the UK’s mid-sized businesses, which could play a pivotal role in driving economic growth and creating jobs across the country.

Luke Johnson, the chairman of Gail’s bakery chain and a prominent entrepreneur, has expressed deep concerns about Labour’s proposed Employment Rights Bill, warning that some of his businesses could struggle to survive under the new regulations.

Speaking to the Employment Rights Bill committee, Johnson, who also has investments in Brompton bicycles and Revolution Bars, said the bill’s potential costs and complexities could overwhelm small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). “In some cases, some of my companies might not survive next year,” he told ministers.

Johnson highlighted the difficult economic climate, with insolvency specialists predicting an increase in company failures, and questioned the timing of the proposed reforms, especially following the recent tax hikes introduced in the October Budget. He argued that for many smaller businesses that lack extensive human resources departments, the bill’s regulatory demands could prove unmanageable.

“The idea that companies that can barely afford any form of HR could stomach a big new bill of 150 pages in 28 measures—they won’t even have time to read it,” Johnson said. “You never know, until you get a big tribunal, what the real cost is.”

The Employment Rights Bill aims to strengthen workers’ protections, including improved job security, enhanced flexible working options, and greater union powers. It would also allow employees to take employers to tribunal from day one of their employment. While these changes are designed to benefit workers, many business leaders are concerned about the potential impact on operational costs and hiring practices.

The government’s own impact assessment estimates that the reforms could cost businesses up to £4.5 billion. Alex Hall-Chen, head of policy at the Institute of Directors, warned that the bill could discourage companies from hiring new staff, particularly those who are considered “borderline candidates,” due to the heightened risks and costs associated with employment disputes.

Andrew Griffith, the Shadow Business Secretary, has called for the bill to be delayed until comprehensive impact assessments are carried out. He criticized the government’s existing assessments, saying they were “not fit for purpose.”

Johnson’s remarks highlight the ongoing tension between increasing worker protections and supporting businesses, especially in a challenging economic environment. “Jobs don’t just fall from the sky—they appear because companies are created by risk-takers,” he stated. “If you crush the private sector, you crush jobs. Without jobs, you don’t have civilisation.”

As ministers continue consultations on the bill, they face the difficult task of balancing the protection of workers’ rights with the sustainability of SMEs, which play a crucial role in the UK economy.