Three out of four SMEs are worried about a recession according to iwoca’s latest quarterly SME Expert Index. The cost of living continues to soar, and the Bank of England are predicting a long recession ahead. Considering this, it’s imperative for SMEs to review their financial forecast. Financial Services provider Finplicity, give their top five financial tips to help SMEs survive a recession. Analyse your Cash Flow How well do you know your income and expenditure? A survey by OnePoll in 2021 showed that small businesses struggle to understand where their money is being spent, and over a half (56%)…
Author: sme-admin
MIDLANDS entrepreneur Kyle Raffo has conquered the Matterhorn – and three other peaks in four days to support the charity Help Us Help Others. On August 12 the 28-year-old climbed the mountain in the Alps which stands at over 4,400 metres and is the 12th highest peak in Western Europe. The climb was initially delayed because the heatwave which hit Europe caused ice to melt and triggered dangerous rock falls. “After weeks of preparation we were told we may not be able to tackle this challenging ascent,” Kyle said. “I love adventures and expeditions and I’ve already spent time in Everest…
Starting a business at any age will be tough, but starting a business when you’ve been on the planet for half a century may not be as difficult as it seems. Sanjay Wadhwani, chief executive, and founder of both investment and advisory firm Podium Ventures and next generation media company MetaFrames, talks to SME Today about why you’re more likely to be successful compared to younger people when starting a business – even though you may have been labelled as ‘past your sell-by date.’ Wadhwani has 30 years’ experience working with start-ups and a strong background in enabling others to…
With thousands of digital marketers still trying to get to to grips with the new Google analytics service GA4, Google Analytics agency, MRS Digital, have designed a GA4 help sheet that explains the key updates and changes from GA3 (Universal Analytics). With the steep learning curve that comes from functions being moved, renamed, and gone completely in the update, the familiar comfort of GA3 can prevent many marketers from making the big change. However, come 1st July 2023, they won’t have a choice and could be in for a shock if they don’t make the change soon enough. The help sheet…
In the digital-first age, social media is a platform that allows SMEs and business of all sizes to reach millions of people worldwide. The benefit that SMEs have by using social media is that it allows them to reach a targeted group of people at scale in a short space of time. As well as being a key platform to grow your online audience and customer base, social media is a great platform to try new things and learn as you go. Through the Skills for Tomorrow programme, BT has helped over 14.7 million people learn new digital skills by…
As the debate around flexible working in the UK continues to burn, Susan Stick, SVP People & General Counsel at Evernote, highlights the benefits it has experienced from embracing remote working. Over the last few months business leaders and politicians ranging from Lord Sugar to Elon Musk to outgoing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have suggested people are more productive when working in the office than at home. This influential group is urging workers to return to the office post-pandemic to improve productivity. But whilst Evernote understands that a remote-first policy may not work for every company, there are clear…
Rishi Sunak was plauded by most for responding so quickly to support small businesses as Covid hit. But what a shame that the years of campaigning didn’t trigger such a revolutionary business rates consultation before an unprecedented global pandemic hit the already underperforming high street retail and shopping center sector, or Brexit, the war in Ukraine, spiralling fuel prices and a cost of living crisis. Any OST is not supposed to be a revenue grabbing exercise. Moreover, it is mooted as a way to fund further retail business reliefs for physical stores that are not high value and thereby protect…
Operating effective eCommerce fulfilment across the globe has become essential for many growing brands, as consumers in various countries increasingly demand certainty and speed of delivery. This has therefore necessitated the requirement for businesses to consider opening fulfilment centres in different locations to keep pace with demand. One region that continues to be of great appeal is the US market. However, “setting up shop” stateside is not as straightforward as one might think for foreign businesses. It demands a vast amount of preparation and planning behind the scenes – which can often go unnoticed and is underestimated. Emma Dempsey, CEO,…
Online marketplaces that enable independent sellers and businesses to reach a wider array of consumers have dramatically increased in popularity over the past decade, and now represent a significant portion of the UK e-commerce market. New research released from Shieldpay, has found that almost 900,000 (882,900) UK businesses are currently selling on online marketplaces, generating an estimated £282 billion worth of sales every year – worth 6% of all UK business turnover. The Shieldpay and Cebr research found that companies selling on marketplaces reported stronger business performance, with annual revenue growth in 2021 amounting to 9.4% for businesses selling on…
An estimated 803,000 – one in five – employees in companies with 5-49 people aren’t saving into a workplace pension as participation rates stall A further 374,000 employees at businesses with 50-249 people also not participating Employers need to communicate benefits of pension saving as they funnel £37.5 billion into pensions and workers benefit from a further £7 billion in tax relief New analysis of the DWP’s latest workplace pension statistics from consultancy Broadstone highlights the need for smaller employers to boost member pension participation with over a million of their workers missing out on the billions of pounds of…