Author: sme-admin

Network Central, the new home of 4Networking, the national business networking organisation with groups in Bridgwater, Taunton & Bristol founded by motivational speaker and entrepreneur Brad Burton back in 2006, has won the National Champions in Crisis 2022 Award at Canary Wharf’s East Wintergardens on Wednesday 23rd March. It won the award for its resilience and quick thinking when its core face to face operations were decimated by the Covid-19 outbreak. 4Networking’s turnover went from £2m to £0 overnight as its 5,000 nationwide meetings each year were immediately cancelled as a result of restrictions and lockdown. Moving fast, meetings were moved…

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With the recent launch of Apple’s Tap to Pay, its new system to allow contactless payments to be collected from an iPhone or iOS-powered handset, Delia Pedersoli, COO at MultiPay Global Solutions discusses what this means for retailers and the future of their payment systems. Apple’s launch of Tap to Pay comes at a pivotal moment for the payment industry. For a start, as illustrated by the recent negotiations between Amazon and Visa, the monopoly that card providers once had, is beginning to disappear. While the two companies have now reached an agreement, the fact that Amazon was willing to…

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Large scale in-person events are back with a bang, with hundreds of thousands of people gathering in-person for conferences, summits and tradeshows across the world. But is ‘in-person’ always necessary? The thought of being responsible for holding a successful, organised call between both virtual attendees with in-person participants is enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine. Ensuring productivity during physical meetings can be difficult enough, those totally online can be even tricker, but mixing the two? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. But hybrid meetings don’t have to descend into chaos, And, if a blend of remote and in-person is…

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Caunce O’Hara, April 7th, 2022: Caunce O’Hara, the specialist insurance broker for freelancers and small businesses, have released the results of their survey on the impact of April 2021 IR35 reforms on contractors. The survey looked at whether contractors felt the reforms were of benefit, whether the reforms had impacted their earnings, whether they had seen an increase or decrease in work opportunities since the reforms, and whether there had been any change to their work-life balance. With the first year anniversary of the Private Sector IR35 reforms approaching, the research has revealed 60% of contractors reported their income had…

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According to a recent report into the value of professional qualifications from the team at CoursesOnline, approximately one-third (33%) of British professionals do not believe that studying for professional qualifications within their respective industries is worth the effort. Meanwhile, two-thirds (67%) believed that putting in such time and effort to gain these qualifications is a worthy endeavour. In terms of employment sectors, the sectors that felt that the qualifications were most worthwhile were as follows: Social Work – 90% of respondents felt that professional qualifications were worth the effort Teaching & Education – 87% of respondents felt that professional qualifications…

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Allica Bank, the SME-focussed challenger bank, is growing its specialist care home commercial mortgage banking team with the appointment of Brian Bovell, as Specialist Relationship Manager. Brian will spearhead the bank’s expansion into Scotland and the north of England’s elderly care sectors. This appointment follows the bank’s launch of a specialist care home team at the end of last year, designed to specifically support independent or small group operators as the market readjusts from the pandemic. In March, Allica also announced it was doubling its maximum commercial mortgage customer exposure for care home customers to £10 million, intended to enable more…

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A new study by Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), has found that over four-fifths (82%) of UK finance leaders believes the industry needs a new breed of CFO.   “The Redefined CFO” study investigates how finance leaders today take a more holistic approach with a reliance on data to engage with the wider strategic priorities of organisations. Stepping out from the shadow of the CEO, the CFO has become a hub of business information – diversifying their expertise, recruiting the right talent, and ensuring they implement emerging technologies and purpose-driven programmes…

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Online retailers can sometimes expect a fall in sales, especially following busy periods such as Christmas. To maintain momentum and business profits, they must think tactically about the different ways they can attract customers and boost sales in the quieter months. Businesses are faced with a great deal of uncertainty and pressure at the moment, with costs of living rising dramatically, consumers will need to cut back on spending and this presents greater problems for regular and guaranteed sales. Despite this, there are many marketing tactics available on hand and in this feature, Emjay Lofts, Head of Marketing at TextAnywhere…

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Running and growing a business of any size is a challenge. Trying to run and grow an SME can be even harder. In a bigger company with more resources, you might have the chance to delegate the management of day-to-day administrative tasks and other time-consuming activities. However, running an SME likely means time spent on these tasks instead of strategising for your business’ future. You want to spend time focusing on how you can grow and improve your business instead of getting dragged down in necessary but consuming admin. With an Equals Money account, you can save time and money…

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US expansion is a fantastic growth opportunity for UK companies if they successfully execute the right strategy for their business. UK management teams are increasingly looking across the Atlantic to maximise their growth potential. In order to do this, leaders need to select the most effective strategy for their business model and ambitions. ECI Partners, the leading growth-focused mid-market private equity firm, shares its top tips for creating a successful growth strategy in the US. Looking to address the challenges that can often arise, ECI draws on the experience of two portfolio companies, Moneypenny and MiQ, both of which are…

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