As the last vestiges of pandemic restrictions lift in the UK, many small-and-medium enterprise (SME) business owners are left facing a long recovery back to full health. As they do so, the new reality of doing business in post-Brexit Britain will start to bed in. Emma Lovell, Chief Executive of the LSB (Lending Standards Board), explores how lenders can support these firms, as government-backed support ebbs away. At the start of 2021 there were 5.5 million small businesses operating in the UK, accounting 99.9 percent of the UK’s total business population. These firms – with fewer than 49 employees –…
Author: sme-admin
Terry Blackburn, award winning entrepreneur and author of his new book Be A Lion provides 5 ways to have an unstoppable mindset when it comes to setting up a business: With everything in life, I believe you should enjoy what you’re doing. What do they say: work is two-thirds of your life or something crazy? Work is a huge part of your life – you can’t escape that. So why not do something that you enjoy? If you don’t, then change it! I strongly disagree with all these online training companies saying, “Leave your job and start a business.” It’s not…
5 Reasons to book a business branding photoshoot: Personal Branding Photography is more than a headshot, it’s the story of who you are and creating authentic images of your business, this could be images of you interacting with a client, behind the scenes images or some more relaxed shots of you, it’s the story of your brand and business. When taking photos for your business the look and feel of them need to connect through your brand, this is very hard to do with stock photos. When you have a personal brand photoshoot we can use props, styling and colours…
The news that the UK was to launch a four-day working week pilot recently shook the country and wider business circles. The trial will see 30 companies move to a 32-hour week for six months, while employees receive the same pay and benefits. This follows a similar move from Iceland, which undertook the world’s largest ever four-day week trial between 2015 and 2019, which found that productivity remained the same or improved in the majority of workplaces. But whether the UK trial will emulate such success is yet to be seen. However, while the idea of an extended weekend sounds…
New research from UKBF (UK Business Forums) highlights gaps in support for thousands of entrepreneurial 16 to 18-year-old school leavers. More than 45,000 school leavers aged between 16 and 18 years started their own businesses in the last three years, yet current legislation prevents thousands of them from reaching their full potential. New research from UKBF (UK Business Forums), the UK’s largest online small business community, has shown that 45,797 young people aged between 16 and 18 either registered as self-employed or formed their own limited companies between 2018 and 2020. Despite UKBF’s encouraging research figures about young entrepreneurship, released during…
The UK’s fastest growing gut health food brand, Bio&Me, created by The Gut Health Doctor, has closed a £1.4million funding round in a record 72 hours. The fundraise was supported by a number of high profile investors including England captain Harry Kane. The investment round, which was over subscribed and closed within 72 hours, sees Harry Kane become a shareholder in the burgeoning business. Investors were impressed by the innovation and credibility that underpins Bio&Me as well as being drawn by the brand’s mission to educate and make gut health easy and accessible to all. The brand will use the…
AFTER YEARS OF battling, HP has recently won its civil fraud case against Autonomy founder and chief executive Mike Lynch. The ruling found that the defendants had fraudulently inflated the company’s reported revenue and value in the run up to the acquisition and must now pay compensation. Chris Francis, Commercial Litigation Solicitor, Ashfords LLP, warns that the judgment acts as a lesson and warning for any SME considering selling or involved in a Mergers & Acquisition process. The civil case itself was complex, and the documentary evidence spans some 28,000 documents. At the time of writing, the published judgment is awaited…
‘Business Women in’ (BWi) has been named Diversity and Inclusion Champions at the 2021 Business Awards UK. BWi is a UK networking company that represents a nationwide community of diverse businesswomen working in a range of sectors. This award is in recognition of their unique approach to the Government’s Kickstart Scheme and their commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and community. Michelle Eddahar, Founder of Business Women in, said: “I am so thrilled that BWi has been recognised for this award. This achievement sums up the hard work and dedication of our employees and members over the past…
Since introducing the policy, Love Energy Savings has seen a 156% increase in female hires. Bolton-based business utilities retailer and comparison service Love Energy Savings introduced their ‘flexible flexible’ working policy last year. To put it simply, this policy allows staff to work wherever they want, whenever they want. While the introduction of this new way of working was initially introduced as a temporary response to the pandemic, it has evolved into so much more than that. For women it is nothing short of a professional game changer. Women around the world have to jump through a number of hurdles throughout…
Covid-19 has propelled cashless payments as the preferred way to pay in the UK. The accelerated growth of cashless added prominence to a spate of payment instruments like spending cards, mobile wallets, and pre-order apps. With the growing ascendancy of the cashless movement, business leaders need to weigh up the options. Should they ditch cash completely – or is there still a place for it in the modern enterprise? Simon England, Managing Director, Equals Money provide some insight for SMEToday’s readers. The cashless route A severe shortcoming of cash in a business is that it limits the real-time visibility of finances.…