Leading free-from food brand, Creative Nature, has been named as a Gold Medal Winner in the FreeFrom Food Awards 2021. Creative Nature was awarded a Gold Medal in the Innovation category for their Cheeky Choc HazelNOT Gnawbles, which is a completely nut safe alternative to hazelnut chocolate. Julianne Ponan, CEO of Creative Nature, heard that they were a top medal winner at the FreeFrom Food Awards Party that took place virtually on May 27th. She explained: “At Creative Nature, we believe products that claim to be healthy should also be tasty. It’s the same for free-from products. Just because food…
Author: sme-admin
Allica Bank has partnered with national, commercial law firm, Freeths LLP, as it continues to drive lending speed and improve transparency for brokers and SME customers. The legal firm’s expertise and additional operational capacity will help improve lending efficiency at the bank as it aims to support UK SMEs with the funds they need to purchase or refinance commercial property and grow. Freeths LLP is a top 45, £100m+ turnover, commercial law firm with 12 officers across the UK. The legal real estate team numbers around 150 staff, offering a real depth and breadth of expertise. The partnership forms part…
An Open University and Be the Business report found that while business leaders value training and technology, time and money barriers stand in the way of upskilling. Only 50% of business leaders say they plan to address gaps in skills in the next 12 months. The value of technology isn’t clear to all business leaders, with only a minority seeing it as having a positive impact on increasing efficiency (39%), revenue (31%) and profit margin (27%). However, rapid technology adoption over the past 15 months of the Covid-19 pandemic by SMEs demonstrates there is an opportunity to maintain the uptake…
Show me the COVID business practice that you randomly saw one day that is now an unconscious standard practice in your life (here’s hoping the TikTok reference lands). With 20 percent of executives surveyed in the UK saying that at least one-tenth of their employees could work remotely two or more days a week going forward, it’s clear that the flexible style of working adapted during the pandemic is here to stay. But with hope on the horizon as lockdowns ease and vaccines roll out, what other pandemic lessons will entrepreneurs be taking with them into their new flexible work…
Iconic England Rugby Player, Jonny Wilkinson, now utilises his experience in high-performance sport to aid success in the corporate world as a keynote/ motivational speaker. He talks to SME Today about his career, the challenges and his motivation. What specific physical and mental skills are necessary to thrive as a rugby player? “To thrive as a rugby player, it’s the same as any other job or profession. It simply requires you to be fully present, clear, aware and ready. “I guess it comes down to what ‘ready’ means. It means owning the space you stand in, but also having a…
After the 2008 financial crisis, academics found that family businesses had consistently lower insolvency rates than other companies – early evidence would suggest that they have again fared well during the Covid-19 crisis. However, the pandemic has put stress on everyone, and whilst the businesses themselves may be resilient, legal disputes in between owners of them are on the increase. Whilst disputes arise between the owners of all types of businesses, those involving family companies can be particularly fractious. The added dimension of the family relationship can add to the usual pressures felt between co-owners, multi-generational aspects may come into…
Amazon will expand its support to small businesses, together with Amazon Web Services, re/Start graduate employers and creative industry partners by funding more than 200 new apprenticeships through levy transfers. Earlier this year, Amazon announced 1,000 new apprenticeship roles in 2021 within the company, including 100 degree-level apprenticeships which pay up to £30,000 a year, and more than 500 apprenticeships for Amazon employees. Amazon today announces the creation of an Amazon Apprenticeship Fund to help small businesses across England take on apprentices through the levy transfer scheme. The £2.5 million investment will help create more than 200 new apprenticeships in…
The Northern Affinity, a business community powering growth and development across the North has seen significant growth as business owners look to collaborate more in a post lockdown world. The firm has witnessed an influx of northern businesses looking to expand their networks, work together and share advice. Alongside 58 small business owners, a selection of corporate flagship firms have become partners of the community. In May, Metro Bank officially became a Northern Affinity partner. As part of this, Metro Bank is providing access to its branches and facilities for The Northern Affinity meetings, including at its soon-to-open Bradford branch. Other larger partners include…
The pandemic has forced many businesses to turn to digital marketing, more so than ever, in order to maintain their customer base. With so much ‘noise’ out there, it means that if you want your business to stand out from everyone else’s, you need to pay attention to your customers’ online behaviour and interests in order to adapt. Market Research The pandemic has already had an enormous impact on consumer behaviour and marketing strategies, and some of these changes may be permanent. This is why including renewed market research in your marketing strategy for 2021 is a very wise move.…
Five human skills SMEs should nurture in their team right now to improve capability and engagement. We’ve all heard of the term ‘soft skills’ or ‘power skills’ as they’ve also been coined. They are the essential being and thinking (or social and emotional) behaviours we should all be developing in our teams to improve future capability alongside the ‘hard’, doing, technical skills too. Soft skills, such as patience, adaptability, curiosity and being able to build relationships and collaborate, are all integral to fostering healthy, respectful and productive working environments; places where we all want – and choose – to work.…