Scotland has a crucial role to play in backing Britain’s future

After all, businesses are operating in an environment that remains challenging. The pace of technological change is accelerating. Global uncertainty continues to shape decision-making. Many firms are still balancing growth ambitions against higher costs and economic pressures that have lingered longer than many expected.

On the face of it, this might seem an unusual moment to launch a campaign centred on entrepreneurship, investment and growth. Yet the more time I spend speaking with business owners across Scotland, the more I’m convinced that it’s precisely the right moment.

One of the privileges of my role is the opportunity to meet entrepreneurs, business leaders and community organisations in every part of the country. Whether I'm visiting a technology start-up in Glasgow, a manufacturer in Lanarkshire, a family business in the Highlands or a growing company exploring export opportunities, I’m constantly reminded of the depth of talent and ambition that exists within Scotland's economy.

Despite the headlines, the uncertainty and the challenges, people are still building businesses, creating jobs and investing in the future.

That resilience rarely generates the same level of attention as economic forecasts or political debate, but it deserves recognition because it’s one of the greatest strengths of both the Scottish and UK economies.

Growth happens when an entrepreneur decides to back an idea; when a business invests in new technology; when a company recruits additional staff, expands into a new market or develops a new product. It happens when a business owner looks at uncertainty and decides that the opportunity is still worth pursuing.

In other words, economic growth is ultimately the product of thousands of individual decisions taken every day by ambitious people. That’s one of the reasons I find this moment so interesting.

For many years, conversations about business growth have tended to focus primarily on access to finance. Access to finance remains critically important and always will be. Businesses need investment to innovate, expand and compete.

But one lesson I’ve taken from countless conversations with entrepreneurs is that growth requires much more than funding alone.

Business leaders talk about finding the right talent and building networks and making connections. They talk about accessing expertise, understanding new technologies and navigating increasingly complex markets. They want practical support as well as financial support.

In short, they’re looking for backing, not simply banking.

For me, that’s perhaps the most important idea underpinning Barclays' new initiative.

Successful businesses rarely grow because of one intervention or one decision. Growth is a journey. At different stages, businesses need different forms of support. An entrepreneur developing an idea has very different needs from a scale-up looking to attract investment or an established company seeking international growth.

Yet each is part of the same story.

When we talk about helping businesses move from idea to IPO (initial public offering), it is really a recognition that every successful company begins somewhere. Every major employer, exporter or household name started with an entrepreneur who saw an opportunity and was prepared to take a risk.

The challenge is ensuring more people can make that journey successfully. That’s particularly relevant for Scotland.

When I look at the sectors likely to shape Britain's future prosperity, many of them are areas where Scotland already demonstrates significant strengths. From renewable energy and climate technology to life sciences, fintech, advanced manufacturing and digital innovation, Scotland has built a reputation as a place where ideas, talent and innovation can flourish.

We have world-class universities, a highly skilled workforce and a strong heritage of enterprise and invention. And of course, we have people with ambition.

The challenge is not generating ideas - Scotland has never suffered from a shortage of ideas!

The challenge is helping more of those ideas become successful businesses: helping more entrepreneurs move from start-up to scale-up, supporting growing firms to secure investment, helping more Scottish businesses access international markets and compete on a global stage.

And it’s ensuring that opportunity exists not only in our major cities but in communities right across the country.

That matters because economic growth must be broad-based if it is to be sustainable. The strongest economies are those where businesses of every size, sector and geography are able to contribute.

Encouragingly, that is exactly what I see when I travel around Scotland.

Many will never make national headlines. Few will feature prominently in economic statistics. Yet collectively they represent something important: the foundations of future growth.

That’s why I believe the timing of this campaign matters. Not because it suggests the hard work is done. Far from it. Nor because the challenges facing businesses have disappeared.

Rather, it reflects a belief that Britain's future growth story remains unwritten and that the businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators who will define it are already hard at work. Many of them are here in Scotland.

The future prosperity of the UK will depend on people who are willing to start businesses, invest in new ideas, adopt new technologies and create opportunities for others. Our collective responsibility is to ensure they have the confidence, the support and the backing they need to succeed.

Because if Britain's future is to be built by ambitious businesses and entrepreneurs, Scotland has a crucial role to play in shaping it.

Jamie Grant is head of Barclays Corporate Banking, Scotland