Author: Greg Robinson

Ethernet leased lines are a popular choice for businesses due to their reliability and high bandwidth. However, there are several myths surrounding them that may lead some to believe they cannot keep up with today’s connectivity demands. Here, Kristian Torode, Director and Co-Founder of business communication service provider Crystaline, debunks some common misconceptions. A leased line uses the same technology found in fibre broadband services, however, the key distinction is that the connection is leased exclusively to a business by the internet service provider (ISP). This ensures that the connection is unique to that location and not shared with others,…

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Simon Yeoman, CEO at Fasthosts, outlines five strategies to protect businesses against online threats. Social media for business. Crucial asset or Trojan Horse for cybersecurity threats? For a growing business, it’s both. From increasing brand awareness and targeting advertisements to boosting website traffic and conversion, an online presence can reap significant rewards for a brand. However, below the surface, all is not as it seems. Weak passwords, overshared personal details and even simple usernames can expose businesses to data breaches and leaks. And the rise of sophisticated deepfakes further increases this risk, enabling impersonation attacks that can have devastating effects.…

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Tom Walker, Partner at Wellers, the small business accountants, discusses how business owners can minimise their tax liability following changes to capital gains tax and dividends. This April has marked the change of several pieces of tax legislation, including a reduction in the tax-free allowance for capital gains tax (CGT) and dividends. The new legislation sees the tax-free allowance halved for both taxes, meaning impacted business owners are likely to endure increased tax liabilities. However, it’s not all doom and gloom as there are plenty of potential strategies that can be implemented to help business owners, like yourself, be more…

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A well-written business contract is like an insurance policy, protecting you and your business in the event of something going wrong, and failing to have a written contract in place can be a costly mistake in the event of a contractual breach or a dispute, Yulia Barnes Founder and Managing Partner at Barnes Law provides some guidance for the readers of SMEToday. Though in English law oral contracts are legally binding, a clearly expressed written contract provides a greater degree of clarity and certainty, protecting parties by defining their obligations and the consequences of a breach, while avoiding the cost and…

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More than 80 Bournemouth Town Centre BID levy payers across the town centre have joined the new Against Business Crime Partnership since its launch, working together to tackle antisocial behaviour and shoplifting and retail crime. Led by the Town Centre BID, this partnership of local businesses, police and the council, was established in response to rising levels of theft, verbal and physical abuse and anti-social behaviour, provides a platform for information sharing and incident recording to help empower more targeted police and local authority action. Across the Bournemouth Town Centre BID area more than 30 incidents have been reported in…

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There is no denying that the current business landscape looks very different to what it did, even a couple of years ago. From the cost of living and rising business costs to the evolution of working arrangements such as hybrid and remote working; business leaders are facing many new challenges.   The ability to foster collaboration, instil a business ethos and culture, and effectively communicate these values throughout the organisation presents a significant challenge, particularly in remote and hybrid settings. In fact, according to the Arbinger Institute, 46% of all decision-makers and leaders reported that culture drives improvements in areas critical…

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Philip King FCICM, former Small Business Commissioner and advisor to PKF Littlejohn Advisory, believes a ‘back to basics’ approach would help many businesses overcome the late-payment challenge. It is an established fact that companies often become insolvent not because they are inherently bad businesses, but simply because they run out of cash. Poor cashflow management, compounded by bad debts and slow paying customers, are typically to blame. But while it is tempting to lay the blame wholly on late payment, businesses must shoulder some of the responsibility for their own poor credit management practices. Put another way, best practice credit management…

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Showerkap, a UK tech startup, has designed the world’s first water management system that enables organisations to monitor and conserve water usage, while also nudging users  to make more eco-friendly decisions that reduce water consumption, carbon emissions and costs. Five years ago The Environment Agency warned that the UK  was only 20-25 years from not having enough water to meet demand, yet even now,  with just 15 years to go, our prolonged shower habits are still accelerating water waste, high energy  costs and negative environmental impacts. Founded by engineer Steve Harding, Showerkap applies behavioural science to help motivate people to make…

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New research on the uptake of employee benefits has revealed that HR leaders across the UK believe benefits and work perks are falling short. A lack of focus on what employees actually need and a failure to properly onboard staff are among the key reasons that benefits aren’t being used, the analysis found. In a survey of 500 UK HR Directors, carried out by employee money-saving platform Nous.co, almost half (48%) of HR leaders said they were seeing poor uptake of employee benefits because “employees don’t seem interested” in what’s on offer, showing perks are missing the mark for staff. Two…

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With 20,000 people currently off work due to mental health illness[1], health and wellbeing is at the top of the agenda for employees. Improving mental health isn’t just a personal issue. At work, performance and wellbeing are aided when employees are happy, content, and feel they trust management enough to give feedback, ask for help or raise their concerns when necessary. However, concerningly there is a significant gap in the trust employees have for those that are senior to them. In fact, recent research conducted by Personio found that whilst trust between employees is strong, only 64% claim to trust…

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