With Gen Z turning their back on fast fashion, the second-hand clothing market has witnessed exponential growth. Vintage stores, charity shops, and most recently, online offerings such as Depop and Etsy, are seeing massive demand as consumers turn to ethical clothing options. Richard Mason Founded Bournemouth based vintage shop ‘Clobber’ in 1988. Over forty years later and his business is considered one of the most noteworthy vintage shops nationwide. Having set up Clobber Vintage in 1988, I have seen the second-hand clothing market shift and change over a number of decades – and witnessed first hand the changes that have…
Author: sme-admin
Covid-19 not only created a health crisis, but it created a wealth crisis too. Despite support from the Government over the last 18 months many small businesses will continue to face challenges in the coming months. John Bell is director and founder of insolvency firm Clarke Bell. His advice to any owner of a company that is having cashflow problems or struggling with too much debt is to take control of their situation and seek professional help as soon as possible. Here John explains the difference between the dissolution of a company and liquidation. What is dissolution? Dissolution is a…
It was impossible to go through 2021 without hearing about the crisis afflicting global supply chains. Back in the first quarter of 2020 the pandemic triggered a catastrophic sequence of events that would ultimately impact how efficiently the world’s distribution networks operated. As Covid-19 ripped across the world and instigated lockdowns across nations and industries, including manufacturing, many assumed that global demand would drop. As we know, the opposite happened, and the pandemic ended up supercharging the public’s appetite for goods as people ended up spending less on things like travel and eating out, preferring to make a beeline for…
As an entrepreneur, you can be faced with many difficulties. But self-doubt is often the greatest challenge to conquer. That little voice that says, ‘you can’t do this.’ Or ‘you don’t know enough, you’re not strong enough.’ It begins as a whisper, but gets louder as your business develops. You begin to feel like an imposter in your own life. And that, more than anything else, has the power to cap your business’ potential. And the problem is, it’s a really difficult issue to avoid. Faking self-confidence only intensifies the problem. So, how can you conquer those demons and elevate…
With limited resources, the owner of a small business may be tempted to take on various administrative roles themselves to save money, but what about HR? Are owners allowed to be their own HR function? In this article Sandra Berns of Centric HR provides some insights, discussing the legitimacy of business owners being HR and who can actually be HR within a company. Can an Owner be HR? So, can the owner of a company be HR? It is perfectly acceptable for business owners, MDs, CEOs, COOs, etc. to also perform HR duties in absence of a separate HR professional/department;…
The theme of National Apprenticeship Week 2022 (7th-13th February 2022) is Build the Future, which is exactly what Coalville based Engineering Design & Supplies (EDS) was looking towards when recruiting Apprentice Engineer, Mason Mckeown. Established in 1986, EDS are specialists in the design and manufacture of lifting equipment, fixtures, and tooling with customers worldwide. Since Managing Director Sascha Kovacs took the reins in 2020 the company has expanded rapidly with no sign of slowing down. “An apprentice definitely felt like the right route to aid our expansion. We were looking to make a long-term investment in somebody, and the more…
It’s National Sickie Day on Monday and, as mental health related illnesses are the number one cause of employee absence, here are some tips from absence management specialists, Activ People HR on how businesses can better support mental health Research tells us that more ‘sickies’ are likely to be pulled on Monday 7th February, commonly known as ‘National Sickie Day,’ than any time of the year. While people are typically more ill during the winter months, Adrian Lewis, Director at Activ People HR says employers should be vigilant and monitor whether sickies are signs of more serious employee mental health issues,…
Getting through to HMRC isn’t always plain sailing. There are number of different channels and services available for contacting HMRC, including telephone, online contact options and post. The Institute of Financial Accountants (IFA) offers a brief guide to HMRC’s communication channels to effectively engage and source information and achieve answers to queries. How to contact HMRC Fundamentally, HMRC provide a digital self-help library, alongside webchat, email, post, telephone lines and dedicated helplines, and phone numbers reserved for your accountant or tax agent. Often, using your accountant will secure you the quickest response, although you can of course approach HMRC yourself.…
The Analox Group, based in Stokesley, has been named Best Global Gas Sensing Products Manufacturer, In receiving the Northern Enterprise Award, officials from the Analox Group said the Award recognizes the hard work, dedication and commitment to excellence exhibited by Analox Team members over the past 12 months. According to award officials, the Northern Enterprise Awards represent the innovative, driven and pioneering businesses based in the North of England. The pandemic has hindered many businesses and industries and continues to do so as we move forward, but the business sectors in Northern England have displayed a solid sense of resilience…
As 2022 gets into full swing, many business owners are considering how they can give their tech setup a refresh. 5G first hit the UK’s shores in May 2019, but it’s taken a while for the rollout to expand enough to make it a viable commercial option. Here, Kristian Torode, Director and Co-Founder of business mobile expert Crystaline, explores why opting for 5G is a connectivity upgrade worth considering, and how it translates into business benefits. Although 5G has been around for a couple of years now, in 2022 we’re going to see further expansion of the market both in terms of…