UK SMEs could be facing a fresh wave of challenges as business failures are more prevalent when coming out of a recession when access to and the management of cash and working capital are key to both survival and financing growth.
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
Lord Heseltine encourages business to bid for share of funding for jobs and growth
Lord Heseltine has kicked off a series of road shows today to promote the second round of the Regional Growth Fund and encourage bidders to compete for a share of £950m.
The Apprentice – Task One
The seventh series of The Apprentice (BBC One) began last night, and the main news to report is that the title is now completely meaningless. The winner of The Apprentice in 2011 will not be Lord Sugar’s apprentice at all. Instead, he or she will get £250,000 of his cash and start a business. Why […]
How to Stop Firefighting – Getting Past the Blocks
From fire-fight to calm is a common continuum for many businesses. Over the last two columns I have looked at how to get calm and how to prevent the fires. But with the best will in the world – you’ll come up against blocks that will impede your progress to calmly functioning business with no smouldering corners. Here are some tips to get past the blocks.
How to Stop Firefighting – Preventing the Fires in 5 minutes
If your business life seems to be a constant round of fire-fighting, getting calm, fire-fighting, getting calm… and round and round you go then here are some five minute techniques to help you get off that merry-go-round.
Website for employers staffing up for London 2012 Games launched
Organisations looking to take on new staff in the lead up to the London 2012 Games can now access a central pool of enthusiastic and available talent, all seeking roles related to the Games.
Know what you stand for and raise your game because of it
Ever wondered why some people rise to the top and become so well known for their ideas? Why not look into becoming a REAL thought leader?
How to Stop Firefighting – Getting Calm
The first of a short series on “How to stop firefighting and get calm within your business”. This week’s article offers some top tips to get you out of the firefight stage and get you calm.
Small firms enjoy fast growth, Luke Johnson says we need angels & Cameron needs to ‘calm down dear’
Small Firms Enjoy Fastest Growth In 16 Years: UK’s small and medium-sized manufacturers grew at the fastest rate in 16 years due to strong demand at home and abroad, according to new data from the CBI published by Sky. The CBI Trends Survey goes onto report that companies have also benefited from the competitive level […]
FPB launches new three-pronged-plan for SME growth
The government must slash red tape, reduce the complexity of the tax system and check the rise in fuel and utilities prices, according to the Forum of Private Business (FPB).
The Apprentice 2011. No job at the end, but a £250,000 investment
This year’s successful Apprentice will no longer win a six figured salary job working in one of Lord Sugar’s businesses, but instead the winner and their business idea will found the basis of an equity partnership with Lord Sugar making an investment to the value of £250,000.
Britain being left behind in cloud adoption, entrepreneur sells business for $30M after three months
SMEs in UK slower to adopt cloud computing than Europe’s firms: Small businesses in Britain are adopting internet-based software, storage and communication services more slowly than European peers, a survey of companies across Europe and published by The Telegraph suggest. The research findings, whilst not discussing American based businesses would also highlight that both Britain […]
Slow customer response times are costing small business new sales
Small businesses across Europe are missing out on new business opportunities because they are unable to respond to enquiries fast enough in a world where customers expect around the clock service.
Saturday club launched to help people become their own boss
Office supplies company Staples has put its full weight behind a new StartUp Britain campaign in an effort to create a 500,000-strong army of entrepreneurs to help get the economy moving.
Finalists revealed for top franchisor awards
A shortlist of 13 franchisors has been announced in the 2011 bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards, supported by Express Newspapers. The finalists were selected from entries spanning multiple sectors, business size and locations across the UK to reveal this year’s potential Award winners.
