Senior managers sometimes find themselves having to investigate complaints against supervisors or lower-level managers. However, what should you do when the tide turns inward and someone raises a grievance against you, the senior manager or business owner? How do you handle a situation where you are the subject of a workplace investigation? The mere thought of being the subject of a grievance enquiry can be overwhelming. Imagine the anxiety over the potential damage to your credibility and its impact on your role as a leader or business owner. The fear of not knowing how to resolve the issue can be…
Author: sme-admin
The escalating adoption of ad blockers, particularly on iOS devices, presents a pressing challenge for brands relying on traditional paid advertising channels. Aaron Peters, Managing Director of Sprout Media, looks at the rising challenge of iOS ad blockers and their implications for brands striving to maintain ROI in paid media campaigns. The popularity of ad blockers [software or browser extensions that prevent digital advertisements from being displayed on a user’s device] has been a growing concern for businesses for years. However, the release of iOS 9 by Apple has recently brought mobile ad blocking back into the spotlight. The new…
A third (33%) of business owners in the UK don’t know how much their business is worth, according to new research from Marktlink, one of Europe’s largest independent international M&A advisory firms for SMEs. Despite this, as market conditions look set to improve, three-quarters (75%) of SME leaders expect the value of their business to increase in the next 12 months. When compared to the European average of 72%, UK SMEs are most optimistic about growth in valuations as they come out of the other side of a tumultuous year. The second instalment of the firm’s Marktlink Monitor surveyed 1066 business owners across…
Businesses of all sizes require an adequate level of protection to cover assets and mitigate risks should the unexpected happen. When the time comes to renew your existing commercial policies, it can be a great opportunity to reevaluate your insurance, ensuring your current level of coverage meets the needs of your growing business. Mark Thomas, Founder and Director of Compare My Insurance looks at the key considerations for SMEs when it comes to insurance renewal. Reassess your business needs SMEs are continually growing and evolving, and as such, the chances are your business has undergone significant operational changes that may…
NetApp, the intelligent data infrastructure company, has today published new research shedding light on the state of AI adoption in the UK business landscape. NetApp found that just half (51%) of British organisations understand how AI can benefit their operations, with only 20% of UK businesses having a strong understanding of how they can harness AI technology. What’s more, spend on AI projects is set to increase in 2024 as leaders see it as crucial to their future business success. The findings also highlight that most IT leaders are adopting AI to remain competitive. AI Confidence Is Fragmented AI is increasingly…
Get A Drip, the UK’s leading provider of health, well-being, and diagnostics solutions and technologies, has expanded its cutting edge services with the launch of Get A Drip Pharma – a dedicated pharmaceutical division specialising in seamlessly supplying, distributing, and prescribing the most competitively priced medical aesthetics, IV vitamins drips, vitamin injections, equipment and more. As a GPhC registered online pharmacy, Get A Drip Pharma is set to revolutionise the pharmaceutical industry with a patented, cutting-edge digital prescribing system, GADRx. With GADRx, practitioners can streamline orders and manage the entire prescription process digitally, providing a seamless and efficient experience. GADRx allows for…
Del Boy and Rodney Trotter, stars of the hit British comedy classic ‘Only Fools and Horses’ have been voted Britain’s best-loved TV small business owners in a new poll commissioned by Vodafone Business. The TV wheeler dealers came out well ahead of other famous TV traders including Eastenders’ pub landlords Peggy Mitchell (2nd) and Den and Angie Watts (3rd). Rounding off the top five were Arkwright and Granville from the classic sitcom Open All Hours (4th) and Seventies rag-and-bone men Steptoe and Son (5th). BRITAIN’S FAVOURITE TV SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS – TOP TEN LIST Del Boy & Rodney – Only Fools…
The Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has delivered a Spring Budget focused on tax cuts, bringing down inflation and stimulating the UK’s flagging economy. However, a leading entrepreneur says that there is still not enough action being taken to support businesses. Adam Sharpe, CEO of Cardstream, a business at the forefront of payment technology, says that whilst it is right that there is a focus on extending support around energy bills for companies, much of the business support measures seem reactive, lack vision, and don’t go deep enough. He also thinks it’s time we celebrated entrepreneurs more in the…
Cashplus Bank, the UK challenger bank, last week announced that it will rebrand as Zempler Bank in the coming months. The new name represents the company’s commitment to making money simpler through its range of digital banking products for microbusinesses and consumers and to providing exemplary levels of service. The change in name also reflects the company’s evolution to become an authorised UK bank with a strong focus on serving microbusinesses and start-ups – a population of over 5 million businesses, that the company says remains poorly served by traditional UK banks. Over the past five years, Cashplus has delivered…
In his Autumn Statement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt officially prolonged the sunset clause for Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) and the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) until April 2035. Initially established in compliance with European Union state aid regulations, the sunset clause limited relief eligibility to subscribers of shares issued before April 6th 2025. Following this change, investors’ curiosity has been sparked – what are VCT and EIS funds, what is the difference between the two, and how they can most effectively make use of these tax-efficient investment offering? Over the past decade, the VCT and EIS markets have seen significant growth, fuelled by…