An award-winning finance company has doubled in size over the last 12 months and has exciting plans for the future. Signature Financial Services who are based at the Lymedale Business Park in Newcastle have taken on four new mortgage brokers and two client managers since July last year, with another broker starting next month. It takes the team to 13, with plans to recruit another two mortgage brokers, a client manager as well as an operations manager in the coming weeks. The company founded in 2009, specialise in all forms of property finance; including residential mortgages, commercial mortgages, buy to…
Author: sme-admin
Liam Chivers – Founder of OP Talent, responsible for managing YouTube Stars including KSI, Joe Weller and Ali-A, talks to SMEToday As OPI talent grew, could you tell me some of the struggles you faced and how you overcame them? “At the beginning, it was the credibility factor. In the industry, particularly marketers with budgets saw YouTubers as kids in bedrooms; no professionalism, very risky to spend money on. “I really took it upon myself to break that myth down and educate the industry. YouTube needed a professional face, someone dedicated to them to knock down doors and present them…
As the UK marks Diabetes Week 2021 nutritional therapist Caroline Peyton has some tips to support those living with Type 2 diabetes (T2D), which makes up 90 per cent of those who have the condition. Across the UK there are an estimated 4.7 million people living with diabetes and those with Type 2 make up the majority. It’s often known as a ‘lifestyle’ disease and it cannot be cured. Qualified nutritional therapist Caroline Peyton, who runs clinics in Swindon, The Cotswolds and online, said: “Through changes to lifestyle it is possible to put T2D into remission, keep blood glucose levels a…
Businesses need to prepare for international remote working The concept of digital nomads — people who use telecommunications technologies to work remotely from anywhere in the world — isn’t anything new. However, for those choosing to adopt this lifestyle, a recent visa trend has made the process much easier. When combined with the right communications technology, the rise of digital nomad visas has the potential to enable long-term remote working. Here, Kristian Torode, Director and Co-Founder of business communications services provider Crystaline, explains how businesses can ensure their employees are able to take advantage of this unique opportunity. The pandemic…
As the seemingly never-ending lockdown continues to put Britain’s network connectivity to the test and confines millions of office workers to remote working from spare bedrooms, kitchen tables or converted corners, many parts of Britain have been found wanting. There are more than 4,000 ‘not spots’ in the UK that experience crippling-poor broadband connections. Unsurprisingly many of these hard to reach areas are located in rural locations. Addressing this shortfall is vital if businesses in these spots are to survive. Locked down and locked out Lockdown is a topic we all wish we could escape. But getting away from it…
There can’t be many people left who still deny that the activities of mankind are having a profound and troubling effect on our planet. Scientists call this geological age the Anthropocene; an age in which human activity is the dominant influence on our environment and climate. The UK was the first country in the world to announce that it will be net zero by 2050, and to enshrine this into law. We are all now having to play an element of catch-up upon realising what that actually means and, of course, at what cost. With some estimations for infrastructure investment…
Access2Funding has recruited four new tax specialists from a range of accountancy backgrounds, all with experience at the top 20 accountancy firms or hailing from the ‘big four’. One of the fastest-growing research and development (R&D) tax specialists in the UK has onboarded the new team to help maximise client R&D tax credit claims, as well as to provide training to the rest of the team and to feed in to HMRC’s R&D consultation documents. Craig Flynn joins with a background in corporation tax, having worked abroad previously. He brings specialist knowledge in the construction sector, after working for the likes of Kier…
If you are thinking of selling your business, now is a good time. The M&A market has recovered well since last year and is currently strong with a good level of confidence. The dip in activity last year means many larger corporates, particularly those backed by private equity, are looking to make acquisitions in order to achieve their growth targets. In addition, debt is readily available from both banks and private lenders. So the market is strong and you are considering selling. What next? Preparation is key The sale of a business is one of the biggest single events in a…
Most people would agree that things like nutrition and exercise lead to a healthier and happier individual. This same principle applies to the financial health of your business. In order to maintain a successful and thriving business, it’s important to stay healthy when it comes to your finances. Here are five ways to boost your financial wellbeing as we come out of lockdown this summer: 1. Take Control Of Your Financial Situation Establishing a comprehensive bookkeeping system is essential to monitoring your financial situation. Cloud accounting software, like Xero, can be used from any device – all you need is…
Despite the regular cadence of ransomware attacks on unsuspecting victims, poor password practices are still very much alive. This is of increasing concern, as many ransomware attacks are the result of poor credential and password management practices, as well as a lack of using multi-factor authentication (MFA). Although many SMEs regard MFA as costly and technically challenging, MFA is now table stakes and a key component to achieving zero trust. While there are easily accessible open-source alternatives to MFA that don’t require any investment, there are other affordable and practical alternatives that can help SMEs secure their business operations, Ryan Weeks, CISO at Datto…