Most profitable small businesses in the UK
Which small businesses in the UK actually make the most money? This list ranks independent trading companies that fit the official small-company size (10 to 49 employees, revenue up to £15m) by the profit in their latest filed accounts. Group subsidiaries, holding companies and years with a one-off 5x jump in revenue or profit are left out, so what remains are owner-run businesses earning from their trade.
- Trading business
- Independent
- Revenue ≤ £15m
- Profit ≥ £1
- Employees 10–49
- No one-off 5× jumps
- Sorted by Profit ↓
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More lists of profitable UK companies
Fastest-growing companies in the UK
Independent, profitable UK companies with £1m+ revenue that grew sales 50% or more in a year.
- Independent
- Revenue ≥ £1m
- Profit ≥ £1
- Employees ≥ 5
Tiny teams, big profits
Trading businesses with fewer than 5 employees making at least £250k profit.
- Profit ≥ £250k
- Employees 1–4
Fast risers
Profitable companies under 5 years old growing revenue 30%+ a year.
- Profit ≥ £1
- Company age ≤ 5 yrs
- Revenue growth (YoY) 30%–400%
- No one-off 5× jumps
Boring but brilliant
Unglamorous trades and services — cleaning, waste, plumbing, storage — with 25%+ margins.
- Boring industry
- Profit margin ≥ 25%