The leaders of one in eight (12%) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – equivalent to around 680,000 businesses out of the UK’s 5.67 million – are actively planning to relocate themselves, their businesses, or both due to the current tax burden, according to a new poll by Rathbones, one of the UK’s leading wealth and asset management groups. Among those planning to relocate, a third (33%) said they will also move their business abroad, with another third looking to move as individuals, while the rest plan only to move their businesses. Ireland was rated as the top destination by 26% of…

South Wales-based Complete Background Screening (CBS) is helping universities across the UK manage high volumes of DBS checks with greater speed and accuracy through its purpose-built platform, UniPro. The update comes as universities face increasing scrutiny over student placement safeguarding and new DBS ID-checking guidance which came into force this month. The system has already made a measurable difference at Cambridge’s Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), where it helped the applicant services team cut turnaround times, reduce admin work, and achieve their best-ever clearance rates. ARU screens between 2,500 to 2,600 students each year, many preparing for placements in regulated sectors…

Generational communication expert, speaker and author Alastair Greener will officially launch his first book, Generationally Speaking – How to bridge the generation gap and communicate with confidence, at the Saïd Business School in Oxford on the 6th of November. The book explores how eight generations living today can better understand each other, both at work and in everyday life. It brings together insights from Alastair’s long-running podcast, workshops and research to help readers navigate the communication challenges that naturally arise between generations. Alastair said he chose Oxford for the launch because it feels like the perfect setting for a book about…

No matter where you sit in your organization’s structure, understanding how AI can boost your sales efforts is crucial. Let’s dive into the world of AI in sales and explore how it’s reshaping the industry. In today’s fast-paced business world, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a game-changer, especially in sales. No matter where you sit in your organization’s structure, understanding how AI can boost your sales efforts is crucial. Let’s dive into the world of AI in sales and explore how it’s reshaping the industry. How AI is Currently Being Used in Sales It might feel…

If your business is registered with Companies House, all your directors and people with significant control (PSCs) will need to verify their identity. This requirement applies from 18 November 2025, when a 12-month transition period begins. Identity verification will help strengthen the integrity of the UK company register and help tackle misuse of company information. This is good news for business, users of the register and efforts to tackle economic crime. Companies House has designed the identity verification processes to be simple, secure and robust using existing forms of identification, such as a passport or driving licence. From 18 November…

 At least once in your lifetime, you’ll find yourself at a crossroads.  One path whispers: Keep going. Just one more step. The other screams: You’ve had enough. Walk away while you still can.  You’ll often make a decision based on what feels right at the time. And looking back a few years on, you’ll realise that your entire life is a collection of such moments and decisions. Every time you choose to stay or to leave. Every time fear won or courage did.  As a business owner, I’ve found that in many instances, giving up should not be your immediate…

Expanding internationally is often seen as a defining moment for a growing business. For many leaders, the idea of taking their product or service into new territories represents the peak of ambition, proof that their business has global potential.   But expansion cannot be driven by ambition alone. It must be grounded in strategy, realism and a clear understanding of purpose.  James Grew, Chief Revenue Officer at Altia  has spent much of his career helping technology firms move from national to international scale, he has seen both the opportunities and the pitfalls that come with global growth. He beleives that for SMEs,…

Herefordshire entrepreneur Becky Wall BEM is celebrating a remarkable double success – having been named Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 at the Herefordshire Means Business Awards and also receiving a Silver Award for Lifetime Achievement at the national Best Business Women Awards 2025. The Herefordshire Means Business Awards event took place at The Paddocks Hotel, Symonds Yat, where almost 300 guests, business friends and acquaintances gathered to recognise excellence across the county. Becky, co-owner of Loo of the Year Awards Ltd and co-founder of A Plush Flush, was shortlisted for two categories: Entrepreneur of the Year and Business Leader of…

How did you start your business? I lived in Istanbul for a while. That was where The Liberty Guild was born.  Sitting on the lower deck of the Galata Bridge, watching the balletic perpetual motion of the ferries in the harbor as they went about their daily business. “What comes next” just came. When nothing is familiar anymore, there is no convention to hold you back. That’s where a new form of ad agency started to take shape. Or should I say, the impetus to actually found the business, not just think about it. Entrepreneurship is about the ‘when’. About…

Access to new water supplies for UK businesses is being restricted because of long term water shortages, research by water services and treatment specialist Alpheus has revealed. Data from Environmental Information Requests submitted to water companies across the country found that new supplies are being restricted for non-domestic requests. Large areas of the UK are already water-stressed, and the Environment Agency warned earlier this year that England faces a 5 billion litre a day shortfall for public water supplies by 2055. In addition to the long-standing water shortfalls, last week, England experienced its fourth heatwave of the summer, and four…