SMEToday talks to Vee Bharkhada, the inspiration and driving force behind Navigate Business Recovery How and when did you start in this line of work? Actually, I fell into it accidently. I had moved from Leicester to London and was looking for a training contract in a solicitors office which was taking too long to arrange. I was registered with Brook Street the recruitment company in those days and they said that this temporary contract had come up with a firm which specialised in insolvency work for nine months covering for someone who was going on Maternity leave and I…
Author: Greg Robinson
Small firms fear the new Employment Rights Bill will harm recruitment and lead to a spiralling benefits bill, a survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) shows. The research shows that 92 per cent of small employers have concerns about measures in the Bill. One of the main concerns cited in the Bill is changes to unfair dismissal legislation, which would expand the grounds for employees to take their new employer to a tribunal from their first day in the job. FSB says that the Prime Minister must now show he “gets” the importance of creating and sustaining jobs…
Allergy campaigner and entrepreneur Julianne Ponan MBE has taken part in a private documentary by a fellow campaigner to expose the hypocrisy around allergies within the airline industry. Julianne is one of three people affected by severe allergies and anaphylaxis interviewed by fellow sufferer Libby Evans, producer of the seven-minute film ‘Airborne Allergies: Life On the Line’. Libby, who lives in Devon and is studying for a BA in Multimedia Journalism at the University of Bournemouth, made the documentary to show the challenges that many people with serious allergies face when flying around the world – she’s one of them.…
Nick Gazzard, the founder of the Hollie Gazzard Trust, has been awarded OBE in His Majesty The King’s New Year’s Honours List for services to tackling violence against women. This prestigious recognition celebrates Nick’s tireless work in raising awareness and tackling violence against women since the tragic loss of his daughter, Hollie, in Gloucestershire in 2014. Under Nick’s leadership, the Trust has become a beacon of hope and support for individuals affected by domestic abuse and stalking. Since its inception 10 years ago the Trust has focused on prevention, education, and safeguarding, working tirelessly to help build a society where…
Emma Male, data cleansing expert at Hopewiser, shares insights on preparing your business for Q5, the high-value sales period between Christmas and New Year. The festive season is a key time for retailers, but the shopping frenzy doesn’t end on Christmas Day. The post-Christmas period, often referred to as ‘Q5,’ presents a golden opportunity for businesses. According to a recent survey, 41% of shoppers plan to spend during this time, making it an essential window for e-commerce marketers to focus their efforts. However most businesses don’t take advantage of this period and actually pull back on their advertising spend, or…
As attention turns to the new year and with it, new resolutions and ambitions for growth, many SME business owners are also turning their attention to how best to manage costs to achieve those resolutions and ambitions, particularly if a growth strategy requires travel. Reassuringly, there are a number of ways to effectively manage corporate accommodation and travel costs so that SMEs have more scope for investment elsewhere, in order to seek growth in new markets either with new clients or suppliers. Here James Buckley, CFO from SilverDoor, the leading provider of serviced apartment and corporate accommodation for business travellers,…
An events business and a speakers’ platform have teamed up to bring added value to corporate events at venues across the UK. Glasgow-based Glasgow-based Eventsplus, which supports independent venues to promote and develop their corporate bookings, is collaborating with Scott Media Speakers, which supports independent venues to promote and develop their corporate bookings, is collaborating with Scott Media Speakers, part of the PR company Scott Media. Under the arrangement, Glasgow-based Eventsplus will promote the speakers alongside its portfolio of venues and clients allowing them to book high quality speakers for their own clients. “Eventsplus was founded to support independent venues…
96 per cent of leading UK retail executives expect another retail technology transformation by 2030 – with 43 per cent saying their industry is changing more rapidly today than they have ever witnessed in their careers. A crisis of consumer trust in brands is a major catalyst according to consumer expert and retail strategist Kate Hardcastle MBE. It comes as 89 per cent of retail executives agree consumers are less loyal to brands than they were 10 years ago. This is reinforced by the fact that under half (48 per cent) of the UK population express some level of trust…
The grant landscape has come on leaps and bounds in the last decade. Not only has the UK broadened its horizon to include societal innovation, but it has strengthened its regional focus to help communities and industries across the country. While it is no secret that grants are hard to come by, a recent transition to a digital grant management system is just one of the ways the process has been streamlined, with detailed requirements and guidance for applicants. Helen Steel from Steamlion Consulting, a Berkshire-based firm specialising in SME funding and growth strategies, has watched the grant space change…
Well known Wiltshire entrepreneur James Phipps has joined South West-based managed service provider WestSpring IT as their Executive Chairman. James was previously Executive Chairman of Excalibur Communications, leaving the board of the company in 2020 after completing a management buy-out. He has since focused his time on sitting on numerous charitable boards and investing in multiple businesses. Now he is stepping in to help run this high growth business and is also making a significant personal investment as there are plans for rapid recruitment and additional office openings. James said: “When I came out of this sector many years ago…