When you need to find business funding fast, what are your options and what are the quickest ways for you to secure more finance? We talk you through the most viable fast funding options for SMEs who need finance in a hurry, and include practical tips on how to ensure your funding application goes as […]
The area of tax for small businesses is not straightforward, in fact it can be a real minefield for the unwary. However, if you take a little time, and work with your accountant, it’s usually possible to find ways to save some tax. To help you think about ways you and your business could pay […]
Within the food and beverage industry, the Great Taste Awards are highly-respected and often considered the gold standard of speciality food and drink accreditation.
Securing such a prize can catapult your product into the limelight, so we asked Kim Havelaar, Founder of Roqberry to share her know-how and advice on how to win a Great Taste Award.
Transforming a start-up business into a scale-up is an incredibly challenging task, which can be difficult to plan and prepare for.
Although there is a lot to consider, moving from start-up through to the stages of rapid growth is practically impossible for any entrepreneur without having the right team or talent in place. (more…)
If you are setting up a limited company, you should think carefully when choosing your company name.
Alongside the business reasons for choosing an appropriate name, there are also a number of company naming rules you should be aware of. (more…)
Over the last decade, organisations and business both big and small have been steadily investing more and more in their digital user experience (digital UX).
Interestingly, the digital UX rules businesses are employing online can be applied to help you write great speeches, talks and presentations. (more…)
The ISO 9001 certification is highly sought-after and becoming increasingly popular amongst businesses.
To help you understand whether ISO 9001 is something your business would benefit from, we asked Sean Huggett of Evalian to explain what it’s about, and what’s needed to achieve it. (more…)
Black Friday 2019 is coming up, and consumers are getting ready for a frenzy of online deals. Last year, there were 194 million site visits on Black Friday alone, with over 1.2 billion visits across the whole of Cyber Week for the top 10 retailers. Clearly, this is an event that retailers should be taking part in and capitalising on. (more…)
It has long been an expectation for businesses to make physical spaces accessible for people of all abilities, and improvements have been made.
Now the onus is on online retailers, where there is still a lot of work to be done, so we asked Hilary Stephenson, MD at user experience (UX) design agency, Sigma to outline how small businesses can make their website more accessible. (more…)
Whether you’re just getting started with your new business, you’ve got a seasonal company that sees a yearly slump or you’re looking to invest in a must-have asset, getting the finance you need can seem like a daunting and almost impossible task. (more…)
Recruiting the right person is a challenge for any business. For startups and SMEs without an in-house HR team or even a single HR specialist, it can be especially daunting.
Hiring executive talent brings extra complexities and takes valuable time. But be warned, failure to do your homework on candidates for senior positions can be a risky business. (more…)
If your new business is going to be operating in a competitive marketplace, it’s crucial that you find a way to differentiate your business from all the competitors out there.
In short, why should customers choose your products or services over what’s already available? (more…)
From flexible hours to an easier commute, working from home seems like an ideal option for many employees and it can have a lot of benefits for business owners too. In this article, Peter Watton of matched betting start-up OddsMonkey, offers his advice to businesses who might be considering offering a working from home policy.
Financial reports are standardised measures of a business’ financial health. They are a necessity for publicly traded companies, but this does not mean that they are only useful for large organisations. If you know what to look out for, these financial reports are great tools for businesses of all sizes.
Take a close look at any business that has been thriving over the last few years, and there’s a very strong chance you’ll see it has a clear USP, or Unique Selling Point. Your USP is something you need to develop as you start your own business. So here’s how you can work on your […]
Successful business owners know how to make the most of every minute of every day. Wasted time costs money and clients, but when you’re slowed down by administrative tasks, an over-flowing inbox and endless meetings it can be hard to keep up, so here are ten ways to maximise your productivity every day:
Regularly reviewing employee performance is vital for businesses, as it provides both employer and employee with important information about the employee’s progress, needs and skills. It can also help improve employee productivity – but only if it’s done in the right way.
Due diligence is a term bandied around quite a lot. However, not many people understand what it means or what is involved. If you ever consider buying, selling, or investing in a business, then you’ll need to know precisely what due diligence means, what the process is, and how to conduct due diligence properly.
To help you handle bad reviews and get the best possible result, here are the dos and don’ts of handling negative reviews
As a small business owner, your legal responsibilities when taking on staff can be somewhat daunting but with a little help you can soon get your head around what’s needed. One of your first duties as a new employer is to ensure you comply with employment contract law. To help you understand your legal obligations, […]
According to the Office for National Statistics 357,000 businesses closed their doors in the UK in 2017. Some of those businesses were less than a year old. There aren’t any statistics that reveal the precise reasons why these businesses failed, but often the answer is as simple as cash flow.
Equity crowdfunding has become entrenched as as a serious way to fund small and medium-sized UK businesses. Rather than go to friends and family, asking for a bank loan, or pitching to angels or VC, business owners can instead access finance directly from members of their “crowd”.
Although the sole trader route, which is commonly referred to as being self employed, is the most popular way of running a business in the UK, there are significant advantages of operating as a limited company. Here, we highlight 10 of the biggest benefits a limited company gives you over working as self-employed.
Here’s how company dividends are taxed, and how you calculate the amount of tax you need to pay on your dividends.
Here are 5 morale-boosting tips to help your team grow stronger and perform better
In recent years there has been a big rise in the number of individuals working for themselves. Becoming self employed is a new and exciting chapter of life, but it does come with extra responsibilities. With so much to think about, we asked David Genders, author of The Daily Telegraph Tax Guide to explain the […]
As a start-up, every piece of data; whether it’s information about a new customer, a networking contact, your sales brochure or invoicing data, is hard won and valuable. As your business matures much of this can be re-purposed and re-used to save time, and cut costs – but only if you’ve kept it safe. So, […]
Savvy business owners are always looking to keep their costs down by ensuring they get the best deal possible. Savings made on everything from stationery to electricity can add up over the year and allow spare cash to be invested in areas that can really make a difference to the business. But where in the […]
10 Ways you can cut your business telecoms costs
If you’re starting a new business, then the bookkeeping requirements are unlikely to be at the forefront of your mind. At this stage there are more pressing things for you to think about. However, once your business is taking shape, you will need to start thinking about keeping up-to-date and accurate accounting details of your […]
Use this roadmap – developed from 70+ crowdfunding campaigns – to help your equity crowdfunding campaign succeed.
Lots of companies that we encounter on a daily basis, like Google and Microsoft, were set up by university students who decided to run with their business ideas.
So if you’re a student at university and feeling entrepreneurial, here are 10 practical tips to help you launch a successful business while you study
Innovation is not just about big, new ideas – or radical technologies. Here’s how the 6 ‘I’s® of Innovation, can help you to innovate and create value in your day-to-day work.
Fintech company Capital on Tap is celebrating the major milestone of lending over 1 Billion pounds to small and medium sized businesses across the UK. Since its creation, less than 7 years ago, Capital on Tap has helped more than 65,000 small business owners fund their business ambitions.
Loyalty schemes can be a great way to drive repeat purchases & reward regular customers. And now blockchain technology is opening up more opportunities for small businesses looking to create a customer loyalty program.
Content is at the heart of every modern marketer’s toolkit. But aligning this material with sales departments is a common problem many organisations face. Your marketing team might be well-armed with blog posts, case studies and whitepapers to generate leads and brand awareness, but you need a well-equipped and driven sales team to nurture leads […]
To stay on the right side of UK employment laws, employers must understand how to carry out the redundancy procedure correctly, so here’s a step-by-step guide to the redundancy process, and how to negotiate it safely.
For entrepreneurs with new food or beverage products, getting listed by a supermarket can feel like a watershed moment for your brand. Your brand awareness is likely to skyrocket with sales following. You also get positive brand association by being seen in a major supermarket, which can help secure more stockists.
