Business121 Small Business Newsletter #91

In this week's Business121:

1. Free 1-month trial for 100 Business121 readers
2. Using a mentor or coach to grow your business
3. Business Plan Resources - Online Tools
4. Business Plans – Plan to survive a business catastrophe
5. How to find good keywords for your website
6. Small Business Banking - The Basics
7. Factoring - Small Business Guide

Small Business News
8. Young entrepreneurs need business support
9. Startups Awards 2007 - small business finalists announced
10. Networking workshops for small businesses
11. Business leaders call for simpler tax system
12. Facebook costs employers £30 billion per year!

Free 1-month trial for 100 Business121 readers

Doing the accounts isn't one of the more exciting aspects of running your own business. Most of us consider it as a necessary evil and one of the jobs that we outsource to a book-keeper or accountant as soon as we can afford to do so.

If there's anything more dull than doing the annual accounts, it's manually checking them once you have them back from the accountant. We all know how important it is that the accounts are thoroughly checked before they are signed off and submitted to companies house but it's not easy to find the time.

For those looking for a shortcut to manually checking the accounts, the answer could be Validis software. Validis is new to the market and works in conjunction with your existing accounts package (Sage Line 50 and Instant, MYOB Accounting and Accounting Plus, and QuickBooks Accountant and Pro) as a 'spell-checker' for your accounts.

The software, which has just been short-listed as a finalist in the 'Best use of the Internet' category in the annual Accountancy Age Awards, flags up any potential errors or unusual entries, so you can look at them in more detail and correct them before it's too late.

As well as spotting mistakes, Validis automatically generates some useful business ratios, so you can quickly see whether your business is still on track.

If you'd like to find out whether Validis can help you to save time and money with your accounts, they are currently offering a free 1-month trial of the service for the first 100 Business121 readers.

Simply click on the link to find out more and to claim your free trial.

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Using a mentor or coach to grow your business
Many of the world's most successful business people became that way with help from a key figure in their lives. When you have a mentor or a coach, you are involving someone else in the decisions you need to make to grow your business. They can help you stay focused, on track, get the most out of yourself and work as a sounding board, offering advice when it's needed. Here's an overview of the mentoring process.

Business Plan Resources - Online Tools
One of the keys to success in any venture is having an accurate and informative business plan. It will set a clear direction and ensure you spend your time productively. As a vital document, you need to invest time getting it right before you make any key business decisions. There are numerous tools and sources of information online, that allow you to research and plan virtually any business idea. Here are a few of our favourites.

Business Plans – Plan to survive a business catastrophe
With all the excitement of starting and running your own business, it's easy to overlook what might happen if it all goes wrong. Without a good disaster recovery plan, it could take so long to get going again, that your business wouldn't stand a chance. Here are seven simple steps to a writing a simple but powerful disaster recovery plan

Keyword Suggestion - How To Find Good Keywords
Finding good keywords and phrases is an important area of web marketing, but how on earth do you find out which phrases are suitable for your site, and which are way too competitive to even bother with?

Small Business Banking - The Basics
Whether you are just starting out, or have been trading for years, every business needs good business banking. This article looks at some of the key things you should look out for when choosing a business bank account.

Factoring - Small Business Guide
The lifeblood of any business is cash. You need a good cash flow to keep your
business viable. In some ways it's more important than turning a profit – it's not unheard of for profitable businesses to go under, just because they ran out of cash. If you want to improve your cashflow, factoring could be the answer. Here's our small business guide to factoring.

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SMALL BUSINESS NEWS
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Young entrepreneurs need business support
A report published by the Make Your Mark campaign has called for more business support to be provided for the increasing number of young people aiming to set up new businesses.

Startups Awards 2007 - small business finalists announced
56 small businesses have received the recognition they deserve as they have been announced finalists of the Startups Awards 2007.

Networking workshops for small businesses
Barclays has announced a series of networking workshops to help business owners increase their profits and improve their marketing. The workshops run during September and November across the UK.

Business leaders call for simpler tax system
The Institute of Directors has called for the introduction of a simpler tax policy to help with the administrative burden of the current tax system.

Facebook costs employers £30 billion per year!
Facebook abuse by workers is costing UK companies a breathtaking £132 million a day, according to new research issued by a law firm.

** For the latest Small Business News, visit http://www.Bytestart.co.uk **

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