Category: Advice

Most people associate franchising with large brands, but it can also be an effective way for some smaller businesses, struggling to raise finance

As businesses focus on ‘the road to recovery’, amending their business plans to ensure their continued success in 2010, Premierline Direct, the business insurance specialist, is highlighting how changes to plans may impact on the business’ insurance policy.

Thousands of businesses at threat from winter water damage – from inside the building as one in five business owners and managers do not know how to turn the water off!

Businesses are being urged to protect themselves from the effects of internal water damage this winter following new research released today. As many as 20-30 per cent of insurance property claims costs are for escape of water from inside the building1, with the most common being from the effects of a burst pipe.

Many companies are poorly prepared in the event of IT and telecoms problems. Here, Dominic List who owns IT and Telecoms solutions company Comtact, gives his simple tips that all companies should adhere to in order to ensure that they are fully prepared in the event of a blackout…

Every year, thousands of people close up their businesses and homes for the Christmas break without fully considering the disasters that could happen in their absence. According to the Fire Statistics Monitor Q3 2008-09, 10% of the 33,000 house fires that occurred in 2008 happened over Christmas – largely due to poor quality Christmas lights and flammable decorations.

The UK’s leading gadget advice company, www.gadgethelpline.co.uk has had to take the unusual step of registering incorrect spellings of its brand domain to counteract the problem the UK’s 18-21 age-group have with spelling the word ‘Gadget.’

At a time when businesses need to be as lean and efficient as possible, it makes no sense to cut off the very tools that create a healthy, motivated and engaged workforce – not to mention staving off high volumes of costly employee turnover.

Video Arts, the training company started in 1972 by John Cleese and Sir Anthony Jay, who wrote the Yes, Minister TV series and is renowned for entertaining films that use humour and well-known actors to deliver essential training messages has created a new licence that lets small and medium-sized companies cost effectively use digital versions of its best-selling titles.

Building on their nomination last year, recruitment specialist GCS has gone one step further and won the Best Small Employer’s Website award at Alljobsuk.com’s National Online Recruitment Awards 2009. The website, www.join.gcsltd.com, beat out strong competition from a distinguished field of nominees, including Innocent Drinks.

Anyone with a good idea and adequate common sense can start a business, but establishing and growing it is another matter.

In the current climate, where money lending has all but dried up, orders are falling, and firms are trimming all the fat possible by cutting costs, the hard part is often working out how to grow your business.

Utilities companies are showing few signs of embracing sustainable policies, as far as many of their small business customers are concerned.

If talk is cheap, genuinely practical advice and support is invaluable for business owners struggling to access finance and left numb by the politicians’ promises. The Forum of Private Business (FPB) has launched www.smallbusinesschannel.co.uk a free new online service advising entrepreneurs on a range of key business issues – including approaching banks for credit.