We are in the midst of a workplace revolution. There has been a 69% increase in the number of businesses in the UK since 2000, according to a December 2019 briefing paper from the House of Commons. Alongside this, the proportion of employees has fallen due to the growth in self-employment. For many individuals, particularly in the creative industries, freelancing has become a plan A.

The proliferation of the internet and the rise of social media have granted individuals the tools to more rapidly build their own business, with many doing so from spare rooms, kitchen tables or perhaps the garden shed. The digital revolution has bought with it a democratisation of business, yet one that is scarcely seen or properly represented in advertising.

This is why Starling Bank’s latest ad from Wonderhood Studios, with media support from Bountiful Cow, is so impactful. By celebrating the ambition and passion of these SME business owners, the bank shows a level of empathy that is often missing from financial advertising. The work across TV, radio and outdoor also reinforces Starling’s leading proposition as a UK national bank.

‘Helping Businesses Fly’ was directed by Elliot Dear through Blinkink and charts the journey of a small business owner, waving goodbye to her family and heroically setting off into the unknown in her flying shed. When she encounters unexpected turbulence, it is the Starling app that, literally, provides the lever which helps her pull through. She settles in above the clouds alongside other businesses who have similarly reached a point of success.

Anne Boden, CEO of Starling Bank explained, “When business owners see the campaign, we want them to feel inspired and courageous. To see that they can do it as well.”

The dramatic arc of this ad captures the real life turmoil of running a business; when everything feels like it’s going to ruin, persistence can turn the whole operation around. ‘Helping Businesses Fly’ is a celebration of those individuals brave enough to try.