Nicola Peake, a dynamic entrepreneur, is launching Peakefest, a unique business festival designed to inspire and rejuvenate founders with a blend of serious business insights and fun experiences. The event will feature prominent speakers, including Sara Davies MBE from BBC Dragons’ Den and Bianca Miller-Cole from BBC’s The Apprentice. Nicola, 45, from Bridgnorth, Shropshire, has founded 6 figure businesses, sold them, and grown them again from the ground up, experiencing both the highs and lows that go with this entrepreneurial journey, and later this year she’s set to achieve one of the biggest challenges of her career to date, bringing…
Author: sme-admin
According to the British Retail Consortium, retail theft continues to surge, with retailers losing £1.8 billion across 16.7 million incidents in 2023, rising from £950 million and just under 8 million incidents the year before. Despite retailers implementing security enhancements, such as extra guards, body cams and dummy products, the issue of stolen goods continues to plague the retail industry. A common misconception is that the most effective way to resolve this issue is investing in expensive cybersecurity systems, however small loss-prevention retail solutions are arguably equally effective in deterring criminals and making theft more challenging. Retailers do not need to splash…
Quarterly results from the Europcar Mobility Group UK electric vehicle (EV) barometer reveal how attitudes vary between private drivers and those who drive for work. Infrastructure and cost are significantly bigger challenges for private drivers than for company drivers. Those who drive for work believe the lack of model options and vehicle availability are bigger issues for their employers. In Q1 2024, almost two in three (63%) private drivers surveyed by Europcar were put off making the switch by the purchase and maintenance costs. Half saw the lack of charging infrastructure as a barrier. In contrast, 40% and 34% of…
There’s something many SME owners think about but never say out loud: the frustration they feel with their lawyers and accountants for giving generic advice, rather than advice that is honed to their business. It would be far more helpful if lawyers and accountants took the time to understand the risk appetite of their clients, what businesses are and aren’t bothered about, and provided tailored advice instead. So, what can businesses do to get the most out of the lawyers and accountants they instruct? Simon Walsh, Partner at Oury Clark offers some useful tips: Choose a lawyer / accountant that…
Subscription businesses have grown in popularity in recent years, with Lidl recently launching their own beauty subscription box worth £70 for just £2. SMEs have also been jumping on this popular business model in recent years, with startups gaining traction in a range of categories including beauty, food, pet care, and more. But what should entrepreneurs consider before embarking on this type of business model? Experts at money.co.uk business insurance have spoken to the founder of a beauty subscription box business to find out. Rebecca Allison, Founder of The Indy Box, said: “I founded The Indy Box during the pandemic while on furlough from my…
As it’s announced that assaulting a shop worker will be made a criminal offence in England and Wales as part of a government response to a wave of retail crime, Alan Stephenson-Brown, CEO at Evolve Business Group, looks at how forecourt operators can harness new tech to combat crime and the key role of connectivity. The retail sector is notorious for incidents of abuse towards staff, and it’s a problem that’s not going away. In fact, earlier this year it was reported that violent and abusive incidents against shop workers rose by 50% in 2022-23. Separate figures suggest the vast…
Speaking at Wales’ first Festival of Seaweed, Dr Alex Newnes – co-founder and COO at PlantSea – explained how seaweed can replace plastic packaging to tackle microplastics, reduce carbon and contribute to a resilient green economy. PlantSea is an award-winning start-up based in St Asaph. The founders, Alex Newnes, Gianmarco Sanfratello and Rhiannon Rees met at university of Aberystwyth, where they pioneered a seaweed-based flexible film that holds both liquids and dry products. The film is 100 per cent biodegradable and can be used as a replacement for plastic laundry pods. Newnes said: “Some estimates suggest there could be one…
In digital marketing every click counts. The click-through rate (CTR) for organic search results typically decreases as you move away from the first position in Google’s search results. Backlinko’s study in 2023 on Google’s organic CTR found that the first organic result garnered a CTR of roughly 39.8%, while the second and third positions received CTRs of around 18.7% and 10.2% respectively. Thus, mastering search engine optimisation (SEO) is the key to unlocking those clicks and online success. But, SEO can feel like a maze filled with obstacles. Fear not! In this guide, Berkshire marketing agency, Protean Inbound, breaks down the barriers,…
A new survey from small business credit card company Capital on Tap reveals how much it costs small business owners in the UK to set up their businesses, the most unexpected costs they face and how they tend to raise capital. Capital on Tap reveals it costs on average £21,193 to start your own business in the UK. From stock, to equipment and software, the industry you decide to set up a business in has its own requirements that need to be taken into consideration. Rank Industry Average cost to set up a business 1 Real Estate £60,375 2 Hospitality £55,571 3…
For companies who lack the technology expertise and resources to support their business, outsourcing IT operations can be a streamlined solution to facilitate growth. An agile IT infrastructure is a cornerstone of success, and businesses are constantly seeking innovative strategies to fuel their technology expansion. However, dedicating IT resources and employees’ time, and even increasing your workforce to accommodate this, can be a time-intensive and costly endeavour. Outsourcing is one strategy to maintain a competitive edge without depleting the time that valuable people resources can dedicate to the business. It allows businesses to delegate specific IT tasks to external providers…