The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched a free online tool to help organisations ensure their direct marketing activities comply with UK law – namely the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations (PECR), and the UK GDPR. By using the direct marketing advice generator, small organisations will get reliable compliance advice, tailored to their own direct marketing activities, in minutes. This allows organisations to reach out and promote their products and services to both new and existing customers, as well as share their aims and ideals – and can assist in making sure they’re contacting people who are happy to hear from them.…
Author: sme-admin
With the threat of climate change growing larger each day, individuals and businesses alike are needed to take action and lessen their impact on the environment. One area which may not be so obvious when it comes to its impact on the environment is our digital activity. Every online interaction leaves a carbon footprint. In fact, the average person contributes around 968 grams of CO2 every single day just by scrolling. Multiply that by 1.13 billion websites that make up the world wide web, and the environmental impact becomes huge. But for businesses today, when social media pages, branding, and an engaging…
Is there a legal service that combines the strategic insight of in-house counsel, the specialised expertise of external advisors and the flexibility of a modern virtual solution? Here, Kate Bennett, co-founder of award-winning law firm Arbor Law, explains how a virtual general counsel can do exactly that. A virtual general counsel functions as an external general counsel, providing high-quality legal advice and support tailored to a business’s needs. Unlike traditional in-house counsel, virtual general counsels operate on a flexible basis, offering services that can scale up or down depending on demand. This makes the model particularly appealing to small and…
Rachel Bedgood, a South Wales native, may feel uncomfortable when the spotlight shines on her business achievements, but her journey is nothing short of inspirational. Starting her business at just 23, Rachel’s story is a testament to how commitment, caring, and curiosity can lead to remarkable personal and professional success. Now, with 20 years of experience, she has transformed a simple idea into a thriving, multi-million-pound business. Here she talks to SME Today: What is your business? Complete Background Screening Limited, however we go by the name CBS. Interestingly, when I first registered the company, I wanted to register as National…
Mental health charity Norfolk Clubhouse is thrilled to announce that digital agency Candour has chosen the Clubhouse to be their new ‘charity of the year’. Candour has pledged to offer support through fundraising, cash donations and free digital marketing services, with an initial commitment of a £10,000 cash donation. Founded in 2019 by psychotherapist June Webb, Norfolk Clubhouse is a grassroots charity which facilitates community-based mental health empowerment for adults across Norfolk. It provides holistic wellbeing support and a place for people to come together, build friendships, learn new skills and get help entering or returning to work. Norfolk Clubhouse operates in Norwich and…
When designing your office, there are lots to consider in terms of wellbeing, engagement and productivity. As such, office design experts at Studio Alliance have provided four crucial questions you might want to ask yourself before you start the design process. Designing Your Office? Ask These 4 Key Questions First 1. What is the purpose of your office? Office use has changed dramatically in recent years. Technology has taken on a huge role in our professional lives, as has creativity and flexibility. Ask yourself, is your office still a central hub for daily collaboration, or has it become a flexible, hybrid space? Defining its…
Liz Colfer, director at Five Wealth, discusses how the true role of financial planners is not focusing on investment returns, but helping clients set clear, meaningful objectives to drive financial success. Many people think that financial planners spend all day harping on about investment returns, but this isn’t quite true. We do spend our days talking away, but not about investment performance and instead about objectives. We are always setting objectives, prioritising them, and then assessing progress towards achieving them. But what actually is an objective, and why are they so important? What is an objective? An objective is defined as a goal…
One in three UK SMEs (33%) believe that research and development (R&D) is essential for continued innovation and sustainable growth, according to new research by Growth Lending, an alternative finance provider for high-growth SMEs. The findings highlight how UK SMEs are increasingly investing in technology and innovation to secure a competitive edge and drive growth, despite ongoing economic challenges. The findings, published in the company’s Geared for Growth 2025 report, reveal the steps SMEs are taking to position themselves for long-term success, with 40% of businesses anticipating revenue growth of 5-10% over the next 12 months. Strategic investment in R&D, technology, and talent…
Sustainable waste management company Biffa has today released a guide advising manufacturers on how to unlock value from waste to achieve their sustainability and commercial goals amid pressures like rising costs and legislation such as EPR. In its commitment to helping the sector reduce its carbon footprint, Biffa’s guide – ‘What ‘iff’ you could unlock value from manufacturing waste?’ – examines the lifecycle of manufacturing waste, from design to disposal. It identifies opportunities to keep the vast range of waste materials generated by a complex production process in the circular economy as far as possible (via recycling, reuse or resale). Biffa’s experts have extensive experience optimising processes for…
Over four-fifths (83%) of businesses lack confidence in the audit-readiness of their ESG data for compliance with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). This is according to a new survey of 1,000 senior IT and data leaders across the UK and France by Semarchy, a leader in master data management (MDM) and data integration. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is a European Union directive that significantly expands sustainability reporting requirements for companies operating in the EU. It replaces the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) and aims to improve the quality, consistency, and comparability of corporate sustainability disclosures. While 65% of eligible organisations…