Fast-growers remind us that ambition and talent aren't confined to London

IT IS all too easy, in times of economic uncertainty, to overlook the fundamental role that ambitious, fast-growing businesses play in transforming communities and rebalancing our national economy.

- DYLAN JONES EVANS

Yet year after year, the evidence shows that these firms are not simply expanding balance sheets, they are creating skilled employment, attracting investment, and revitalising places that have been too long ignored.

With entries now open for the 2025 UK Fast Growth Index, it is timely to reflect on what genuinely sets these businesses apart. While turnover growth remains the clearest indicator, and indeed many firms double or triple their revenue within a remarkably short time frame, a company cannot simply scale overnight without robust foundations such as resilient business models, operational systems designed to cope with expansion, and leadership teams who recognise good governance is as essential as entrepreneurial drive.

Consider the small manufacturing plant in a former industrial town that now runs 24 hours a day, employing twice as many people as it did five years ago.

The wages paid to these workers support local families and underpin spending in shops, restaurants and services that might otherwise struggle to survive.

Or the Cardiff-based software startup whose AI platform has driven extraordinary revenue gains while delivering cost savings for clients, encouraging talented graduates to stay in Wales rather than depart for London or further afield.