A new system to regulate the award of subsidies to business comes into force last week (Wednesday 04 January), providing a boost to businesses across the country and empowering public authorities to deliver support to businesses in a quicker, fairer, and simpler way. Subsidies will be tailored to local needs, with public authorities and devolved administrations having added flexibility to ensure they can get support to where it’s most needed as quickly as possible. The introduction of these new rules are the most significant changes in subsidy administration in over 40 years and marks a landmark transition away from the…
Author: sme-admin
With many workforces stating that over the past 12 months retaining talent has been a huge issue, and with diversity being high on employee’s agenda, businesses need to show they are a diverse and inclusive business more than ever before. Supporting employers to harness the talent and potential of neurodiverse individuals is essential for a truly diverse work culture and for businesses success. Being diverse is a key element that employers need to uphold to not only look attractive to potential candidates but to retain talent. One of the ways companies should be expanding their talent pool is through hiring neurodivergent…
By Cathryn O’Donnelly, Career, Business & Life Coach at Coaching by Cathryn These past three years have been like no other. Our lives and relationships have been impacted in so many ways, from personal to professional. Plans and goals have been put on hold or abandoned, and there’s been the pressure of staying safe and protecting family members and businesses as well. Although there is still uncertainty, we can and should be thinking about what the future might hold, where we want to be and how we’ll get there. After all, as the philosopher Seneca wrote 2,000 years ago, if you…
There’s just a few weeks left for businesses to have their say on the current state of technical education in the UK. The 31st January marks the deadline for businesses to join IfATE’s ‘The Big Conversation’ (the biggest consultation on technical education in years) and help shape the future of the current skills landscape so that it meets their needs. This call comes as a fifth of SMBs expect to see business increase in the coming year (despite cost of living and energy concerns) and having employees with the right skills will be paramount to support this. Positively, technical education in England has changed for…
By Clive Rich, CEO & Founder of LawBite When you are growing your business, at some point, a time will come when you need physical premises – whether that be office space to house your expanding workforce, industrial or warehousing space to manufacture, store or distribute your goods, or retail space to sell them. For many small business owners, this decision to purchase a commercial property can feel daunting, especially in a time of economic and political uncertainty such as now. But for those looking to take on a new premises there will be a multitude of questions about every…
The role of the CFO has evolved through three defined cycles in line with modernisation of business. Through the first cycle, the CFO was a historian of past performance, focussing on the company’s financial data and past performance to make decisions for the future. Through the second cycle, the CFO used modern finance tools to begin automating the finance function. This CFO uses real-time data and dashboards to provide analysis of the business to improve performance and boost strategic activities. While there is still a place for these approaches within a business, neither CFO 1.0 nor 2.0 is capable of accurately…
With many employees taking strike action, including the likes of the NHS ambulance service workers and Royal Mail employees, it’s come to light how important trade unions are. In fact, strikes by BT back in the summer led to conversations between their trade union and BT themselves, resulting in a pay rise for staff. No matter what industry you’re working in or what your career may be, it’s inevitable that you will come across trade unions at some point or another. In fact, in 2021, a quarter of the UK workforce said that they were a member of a trade…
Cybercriminals have identified SMEs as potentially vulnerable because of new working practices, small IT teams and a lack of solutions knowledge. Rob Batters, Director of Managed and Technical Services, Northdoor plc provides SMEToday’s reading with some insight on this issue. The threat from cybercriminals is increasing all the time in terms of regularity and sophistication. However, it is no longer just enterprise level or public sector organisations under attack, but SMEs too. Without better protection, SMEs could face a barrage of attacks which has the potential to cause real damage to infrastructure, finances, and reputation. UK SMEs suffering more cyber-attacks than…
Author: Miranda Khadr, CEO and Founder of Provide Finance I have spent many years advising small business owners on the types of finance options that are available to them. Some are start-ups looking for a lump sum to get their ideas off the ground. Others are further along in their journey, looking to secure extra funds to invest in machinery, stock and office furniture as they enter a new growth phase. It’s always so exciting to be able to play such an important part in helping businesses to launch and grow. Recently though, I’ve been hearing from clients who need to find money just to…
Author: Andrew Trotman, CEO and Founder of award-winning social media marketing agency KOMI Group 2022 saw many new social media trends with companies both soaring and failing at trying to harness them. As we move into a new year, social media will continue to be an even more widely used communication channel for businesses to engage with customers and prospects, and marketers should take notice and consider ways to better their social media habits in 2023. This year is going to be a very different social media space and we’ve compiled some top social media resolutions for businesses to consider…