Cockwells Modern & Classic Boatbuilding Ltd continues its ambitious programme of expansion with the acquisition of The South West Shipyard at Ponsharden. Cockwells has purchased the freehold of the waterside site, located between Falmouth and Penryn, to enable the Company to meet unprecedented demand for its award-winning Duchy Motor Launches and Hardy motor yachts. The shipyard comprises two large sheds that equate to 25,000 square feet of undercover space, which have been managed as two separate entities until now. This acquisition – which will unite these sheds, its quay and slipway – has been 100% funded by Cockwells and its…
Author: sme-admin
MyKindaFuture, a leading HR tech company specialising in underrepresented talent, has joined forces with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to launch an innovative mentoring programme designed to help unemployed 18-24 year olds find work through the Jobcentre Plus. The joint initiative will see MyKindaFuture’s online mentoring platform, Connectr, being used by Jobcentre Plus (JCP) to provide jobseekers with the advice, tools and skills they need to secure a job and succeed in it. The project, which offers young people access to mentors from leading local and national employers, aims to tackle the rising issue of unemployment in Britain.…
ea Change, a UK leader in delivering IT and business change solutions with a significant UK and international client base, has announced a management buyout. After 23 years of leadership, Steve Robson, Cheryl Robson and Jon Murphy are excited to announce that as of March 1st, they hand over the reins of the company to the next generation, with James McNicol and Andrew Oliver becoming joint owners of the group. Steve Robson stated: “James and Andrew have been part of the senior team for the past four years and are fully aligned with the business and our commitment to our…
Jason Oakley, CEO of Recognise Bank, Britain’s newest SME Bank, comments on the extension of the furlough scheme and the extension of the VAT cut to 5% and then 12.5% announced in this weeks budget: “This is great news for firms that have already weathered a tough 12 months under COVID-19 restrictions. One in four small businesses wanted the Chancellor to extend the furlough scheme in today’s Budget, while nearly half of hospitality firms said they wanted the reduced 5% VAT rate to continue. “Britain’s growing businesses are a tough and confident bunch, and the bosses I talk to say they…
During the summit, which took place on Thursday 4th March 2021, almost 30 female speakers took to the stage to share their own experiences and tips for navigating predominantly male-occupied businesses. The speakers at the event ranged from Lauryn Bradley, who spoke about the ‘Feast and Famine Cycle’ – the rollercoaster of income boosts and drops that businesses often get stuck in – and how to take care of yourself during the ups and downs, to ‘Empress of Networking’ Ungenita Prevost, a former Hollywood body double who spoke about her experiences of racism and sexism on her way to become…
Author, speaker & coach, Taz Thornton hoping to unleash the awesome of 200 women at her virtual event for International Women’s day 2021 “On International Women’s Day, it’s all about give and no take,” said Taz Thornton, inspirational speaker, coach and author. That’s why Taz is giving away two hours of mentoring, coaching and support to inspire women in business and unleash their awesome! “After the year we’ve all had, I wanted to make this uniqueoffer on this special day for women to help them recognise how powerful women in business are, how to grow their audience and turn up…
Zoom has seen a boost in users over the last year, but with all the other options on the market, which service would fit best for you and your business? This article will compare Zoom (which has gone from 10 million daily users to 300 million), Google Meet (over 100 million daily users) and Microsoft Teams (75 million daily users) in a series of categories such as free and paid-for features, and the software’s security. What limitations do the free versions have? Using the free Zoom package, you are able to host up to 100 people in a meeting for…
A survey by alternative lender Capify has highlighted a demand for more financial support with cashflow, expansion and funding for new equipment among the reasons Confidence for the future is mixed with 38% expecting the economy to improve while 36% expect a decline in 2021 43 per cent of SMEs say the support offered by the government to businesses has not been good enough Eighty-three per cent of UK SMEs are still actively looking for finance according to a new study, despite the government’s Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) having lent almost £45bn to more than 1.4m businesses. The findings…
A former adviser to the government on SMEs has warned there could be a mass exodus of talent out of the UK if Chancellor Rishi Sunak hits businesses with tax hikes in this week’s Budget. Mr Sunak is widely tipped to be considering an increase in Corporation Tax and Capital Gains Tax in a move that would hit entrepreneurs hard. Personal income tax bands and the £50,000 higher rate threshold could be frozen for three years pushing 1.6 million people into a higher bracket by the time of the next General Election. National Insurance for the 4.5 million self-employed could…
The second of last week’s Great British Expos, South West Expo Bristol, which took place on Friday 26th February 2021, was a roaring success and left audiences inspired. Speakers ranged from those who built billion-dollar businesses to successful entrepreneurs who started with nothing. They shared stories, advice and guidance on do’s and don’ts in sectors such as social media, marketing and more. One of the speakers who attended was Andy Smith, who explained the key tips of ‘marketing to win, even during a recession’, and how to balance new and existing clients in regards to marketing formats. Darren Clark and…