Networking expert Stefan Thomas, who has worked with everyone from small business owners, through to multi-national organisations such as BT, Instinctif and Oqema, is sharing some tips about staying positive in a negative world. Stefan, who lives in Oxfordshire, is a professional keynote speaker and the bestselling author of Business Networking for Dummies as well as Instant Networking and Win the Room. Seen as a business leader Stefan has been repeatedly asked about how a small business can navigate the current cost of living crisis. “What does that really mean for a small business owner? For me, I’m going to move into a serviced office…
Author: sme-admin
Edinburgh startup, Gecko Glazing, has created an affordable, easily-installed alternative to double glazing that can cut window heat loss and carbon emissions by up to 50%. With huge potential to improve inefficient homes, including historic and listed buildings, the company has just secured a £150k investment in a funding round led by British Design Fund. After years of prototyping and product development, Gecko Glazing was officially launched in 2020 by entrepreneur and former banker Gareth Claase. With a passion for the environment, Gareth first came up with the idea for his business when looking to double glaze the windows in his own…
Like many SME’s, at Future Arc we have had our impact on the planet close to mind over the last few years. Future Arc is an innovation and venturing studio. We work with large organisations to deliver complex digital transformation projects and whilst our work is big, our team is small yet mighty. Recently, we have been pushed into action thanks to the need to qualify for a UK Government Framework. Part of our bid process required us to submit a Carbon Reduction Plan, and this has now kicked our business into a much needed drive to Net Positive. Wyndham…
Digital services company AND Digital has today released its The Nature of the Digital Skills Gap report, which reveals that over half (61%) of business growth depends on digital outcomes, with most (81%) managing directors admitting that a lack of digital skills is having a negative impact on their organisation already. Based on AND Digital’s estimations, this equates to £50bn per year across the UK economy, and more than £240bn between now and 2026.* These findings are alarming, with over a quarter (27%) of businesses attributing employee churn, a loss of talent, or difficulty attracting talent to a lack of digital skills. Critically,…
During the pandemic, online grocery orders rose by more than 50% and are expected to rise further this year, according to McKinsey research. More than ever, people make day-to-day purchases online, choosing quick commerce merchants that offer speed and convenience. As people open new accounts and make faster purchases, merchants are challenged to verify identities and manage evolving fraud threats in real time. To meet these needs, Mastercard and Ravelin, a leading machine learning fraud platform, have joined forces to deliver an enhanced fraud solution. Incorporating digital identity verification capabilities from Ekata and real-time fraud insights from Ethoca, Ravelin will help merchants…
Recent years have been challenging for small businesses, with an estimated 20% increase in insolvencies in 2022, and nearly 400,000 businesses closing between 2020 and 2021. Despite this, SMEs continue to launch new businesses. Last year saw a record for start-ups registered on Companies House, with nearly 80 new companies listed per hour in the first half of the year. With another difficult year likely ahead in 2023, it’s important that entrepreneurs set themselves up with the best chance of success possible. That’s why Virgin Money launched a study to reveal the UK cities with the best prospects for starting a…
Good people are the foundation stones of growing SMEs. The late Steve Jobs was very clear about this: “The secret of my success is that we have gone to exceptional lengths to hire the best people in the world.” For example, he believed the difference between a good programmer and a great one was a factor of 25 to 1 – which has a significant effect on the recruitment decision at Apple. Large businesses like this may be in the fortunate position of having a raft of applicant for their vacancies. However SMEs often find it tough to find any,…
Reward Finance Group has helped boost the region’s economy by providing £5.2m of funding to SMEs in the first year of launching in the Midlands, to enable them to unlock growth potential, create new jobs or navigate through a difficult trading period. Experiencing unprecedented growth since opening its Birmingham office 12 months ago, Reward has tripled its headcount and is looking to further build on its success and expand its broker network in the year ahead. The company attributes this rapid success to its straightforward and flexible lending products, speed of delivery, and the confidence of an increasing number of SME-size companies to build…
Profitability reached in just over two years since the bank opened its doors to lending – making Allica one of the fastest UK fintechs to ever achieve profitability The bank only opened its door to lending in March 2020, but has already lent over £1 billion to mid-sized SMEs and now has monthly loan originations reaching close to £1 billion on an annualised basis. The bank has been profitable on a monthly basis since June 2022, just over two years since opening its doors to lending in March 2020 – making Allica one of the fastest UK fintechs to ever…
Mark Gray, UK and Ireland Country Manager for Universal Robots talked to SMToday about how and why the manufacturing industry should start to look at the advantages of automation and the possibility of a four-day working week. The pandemic has spurred immense transformation in our approach to work, with terms such a ‘flexible working’ and ‘work-life balance’ rising to prominence in our general lexicon. As our focus remains on improving employee wellbeing and quality of a life, in June 2022 over 3,300 workers at over 70 UK firms began a historic six-month trial of a four-day working week. Much has been discussed…