By Tomás Dostal Freire, CIO & Head of Business Transformation, Miro As leaders, we all want our teams to be excited about and engaged in their work. While everyone loves the feeling of a big win, from a successful launch to a campaign that goes viral, we can make our teams even stronger if we zoom in and ask a simple question: what makes work meaningful for today’s workers? Or, more to the point, what are the ingredients of a great day at work? According to our new survey, the best days don’t come from a completed to-do list or…
Author: sme-admin
From April 2026, the way thousands of sole traders and landlords manage their tax affairs will change forever. In this article, Mark Kearsley, Tax Partner at DSG, explores how the government’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) initiative will mean that manual record keeping and once-a-year tax returns become things of the past. Those with qualifying income above £50,000 will have to keep digital records and send quarterly updates through HMRC approved software. The threshold will fall to £30,000 in 2027 and £20,000 in 2028 which will bring many more small businesses and property owners into the new system. It is the…
Tool theft has affected tradespeople and the construction sector for a long time – however, in recent years, legislation has been passed through parliament to act as a deterrent to would-be thieves. These include the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and – more recently – the Theft of Tools of Trade (Sentencing) Bill, which is now due to receive its second reading on the 31st October 2025, pushed back from the original date which was in July. The purpose of the Bill is to increase the sentencing category for criminals convicted of the theft of tools of trade. Currently, tool…
By Peter Dando, Senior Director of Employee Benefits at BHN Extras Ask employees what would make them happier at work and most will give a straightforward answer: more money. New research shows that 62% of employees say a pay rise is their number one choice for boosting happiness at work. For business owners and HR leaders in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), that may sound like both a challenge and a reality check. With budgets tight and competition for talent fierce, pay pressure is very real. But while salary is undeniably powerful, it isn’t the only lever businesses can pull…
From 1st January 2026, non-EU companies will no longer be permitted to use limited tax representation in France under Customs Regime 42. For UK businesses moving goods into the EU under Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) terms – particularly those clearing shipments at the smart border – this change could have significant consequences. To explore what this means for UK exporters and the freight industry, Chris Roome, Associate Director, Customs & Compliance at Baxter Freight – one of the UK’s leading independent logistics specialists – shares his reaction and expert insight on the impact the legislation change could have on UK firms exporting via the EU: Will this change become a barrier to trade?…
Raj Sundaresan, CEO of Altimetrik, argues that AI-First is not a strategy; it’s the new operating model for modern business. In this piece, Raj, outlines how Altimetrik has embedded AI into the core of its operations, culturally, structurally and strategically. Two years might not sound like much in business terms but the boardroom conversations I’m having today would be unrecognisable to the one I knew back then. Back then, we used to spend hours debating slide decks about the next breakthrough app. Now, the question is stark and immediate: Will we steer the ship in this AI wave or get…
By Chris Spratling, Author of The Exit Roadmap According to Brooks Holdings, 48% of business owners who want to sell have no exit strategy at all. Meanwhile, Forbes reports that 58% of small- and medium-sized business owners have never had their company formally valued. For many entrepreneurs, the idea of “exit planning” feels like something to deal with later – when retirement is on the horizon or when the business has reached its peak. Yet, the truth is stark: every owner will exit their business one day, whether by design or by default. The real question is not if, but…
Around 40% of UK households lack off-street parking, leaving millions of drivers dependent on public charging and penalised by higher costs and a 20% VAT rate. Be.EV, one of the UK’s fastest-growing ultra-rapid EV charging networks, is tackling this inequality with the launch of one of the UK’s cheapest ultra-rapid charging tariffs at 39p/kWh, setting a national industry benchmark for affordable public EV charging. The new pricing model makes Be.EV one of the few charge point operators offering public charging cheaper than refuelling with petrol or diesel. Drivers can now access ultra-rapid charging at Be.EV’s new low rate of 39p/kWh…
Global tech strategists Juniper Research last week released its new Connectivity Tech Horizon; spotlighting the three technologies expected to have the greatest impact on the telecoms industry over the next year. These are: Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite connectivity 5G Advanced AI Radio Access Network (RAN) The Tech Horizon offers a visual assessment of 20 connectivity technologies; ranking them as either ‘Above the Line’ (strongly performing) or ‘Below the Line’ (underperforming) in relation to market expectations. Giving operators and vendors a clear, data-driven view of which innovations are delivering value – and which are falling short. “Enterprise demand for connectivity is not only…
As the UK braces for November’s Autumn Budget, Douglas Grant, Group CEO of Manx Financial Group, is urging Chancellor Rachel Reeves to prioritise the nation’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In a detailed letter, Grant highlights a stark reality: nearly a third of SMEs have paused operations due to funding shortages, and one in ten cannot access finance despite ambitious growth plans. Dear Chancellor Reeves, As you prepare for your Autumn Budget Statement on 26th November, we urge you to place the vitality of Britain’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at the heart of your economic agenda. Recent research paints a…