Fear of failure is the biggest barrier for 18-24s starting a business, while 45-54s name building the right team, new Funding Circle research finds.
Category: In Business
Advice on growing your small and medium sized business, SME, in the UK. Hiring and managing staff and finance plus marketing all on one website
University College Birmingham buys former Cube hotel in £15m plan
University College Birmingham has bought the former Cube Hotel and Marco Pierre White restaurant, the first stage of a £15m programme creating 150 jobs.
Steph McGovern to host UK’s first Vocational Celebration Day
The UK’s first Vocational Celebration Day takes place on 6 August, days after Andy Burnham set out new technical routes for 14-year-olds in England.
Late payments will limit £2bn lending expansion, credit firm says
The Growth Guarantee Scheme will support £3.35bn of SME lending a year by 2028/29, but Darcey Quigley & Co says late payment still drives borrowing.
Beefeater to close all 106 restaurants on 10 September
Beefeater closures: Whitbread has confirmed all 106 restaurants will trade for the last time on 10 September as the group exits pub-restaurant dining.
Bezos names Amazon chip arm as company’s next pillar
Jeff Bezos says Amazon’s chips business is lining up to be the company’s next pillar as it prepares to spend $200bn in capital in 2026, mostly on AI.
Princes forecasts 60 per cent pea yield as growers trial chickpeas
Princes has forecast the UK pea harvest at about 60 per cent yield, a second consecutive shortfall pushing Lincolnshire growers to trial chickpeas.
Fair Work Agency labour abuse inquiries rise 87 per cent in first quarter
The Fair Work Agency handled 2,741 labour abuse inquiries in the first quarter, up 87 per cent, as it prepares to take on holiday and sick pay enforcement.
HP drops bid to remove manager of Mike Lynch’s £500m estate
HP has dropped its bid to remove Jeremy Sandelson as manager of Mike Lynch’s £500m estate, agreeing he stays if the family wins permission to appeal.
Blick Rothenberg: US tariffs make UK more appealing to Japanese firms
US tariffs on Japan, set at 12.5%, may make the UK a more attractive investment base, says Blick Rothenberg, as Japan’s June exports rose 19.3 per cent.
East of England growth confidence dips to 83%, KPMG finds
East of England business confidence has fallen to 83% from 86%, KPMG’s mid-year Private Enterprise Barometer finds, with 67% prioritising technology.
Oil at $100 drives mortgage rates back to a month-old high
UK mortgage rates have climbed to a one-month high as $100 oil dents rate-cut hopes. What the squeeze means for SME owners and how to lock in now.
Kardashian’s Skims fills empty Ted Baker flagship on Regent Street
Kim Kardashian’s Skims opens its first UK store on Regent Street, taking the old Ted Baker flagship on a 10-year lease. What it signals for UK retail.
Record entries and 200 shortlisted: Britain’s small businesses defy the gloom at the UK’s flagship business awards
From a nine-generation family farm to a challenger radio station, the 2026 Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards shortlist tells a different story about British SMEs, and one of them will win £500,000 of ITV airtime
James May rejects wealth tax as millionaires beg Burnham to tax them
James May rejects the wealth tax urged by Gary Lineker’s millionaires. Here’s what a £24bn levy on the super-rich could mean for UK small businesses.
