February 5, 2010
Filed under: Small business — Alan @ 4:54 am
Suspending VAT increases and freezing NICS (National Insurance Contributors) may be the best way for the Government to help small firms advance out from under the recession according to the Federation of Small Business’ (FSB) 2010 Manifesto.
The launch of the Manifesto is set to correlate with the general election and includes many recommendations which the FSB believes will help small firms get better access to finance, set up new business, and create more jobs.
One of the vital proposals found within the Manifesto is a major overhaul of the current tax regime for payrolls that includes offering a tax rebate for firms that hire new staff members over the coming two years and a freeze on NICS.
A spokesperson for the FSB said that two areas that small firms need to concentrate on are access to finance and job creation opportunities. The spokesperson continued to say that small businesses hold the answer to ending the rising numbers of unemployment but NICS is a detriment that stops small firms from hiring more employers.
Additionally, the FSB also asked that finance be opened up to small firms from other atypical funding sources such as banks run by local councils. The need for such an institution is high according to the FSB since too many SMEs are still being refused proper funding and the banking sector needs more competition.
In response to the proposals, an official from the BIS (Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills) stated that the Government is aware of the importance of SMEs in economic recovery and that they will continue to support the small business sector.
February 4, 2010
Filed under: Business Tools, Business equipment, IT — admin @ 12:47 pm
The stage is set, you have that fateful interview with Van Morrison. You know fine well that he’s a grumpy and does not suffer fools gladly, if there is any issues he will probably hang up. So how do you make the call go as smooth as possible?
1. Remember the ‘holy couplet’ of conference calling. Dial the right number and be on time/early! Furthermore remember to familiarise yourself with the phone conferencing system you will be using beforehand.
2. Introduce yourself and encourage others to do the same. Participating in a meeting on the phone is a little un-natural to some people and a little introduction will help them get involved from that start.
3. Names are extremely important in a conference call. Learn everyone’s name beforehand and use them regularly. This will help to prevent callers answering the same question at the same time and talking over one another.
4. Use a quiet, undisturbed room with no background noise. A quiet room is exactly what it says. The only thing that should have the capacity to make unrestrained audible noise is you. In an ideal world your audience will find it amusing to hear you tussle with Fido screaming expletives at him. However in reality your audience would find it much more amusing to watch Hamsters surfing on You Tube but can’t because their boss said they have to talk to you.
5. If at all possible do not use mobile or cordless phones. Remember when the 3G network was being touted about with people proclaiming that everyone would have crystal clear connection wherever we were. It didn’t happen. If your goal is to trick your fellow callers into thinking you are Stephen Hawking in the midst of a sneezing fit go ahead, otherwise use a land-line.
6. Be cautious with the mute button. If you must use mute in order to make a private comment to the people in the room for your sake be careful. The reality is that a conference call, like everything else we encounter in our lives, follows sod’s law. You may be well versed when it comes to how to mute conference calls effectively and you may even have done it before. But you know as well as I do that when you use it in order to have a moan about one of your callers it won’t work. So, if you must use it be careful.
7. If you must nip out to relieve yourself during a conference call make sure that using your hold button does not commence your novelty on hold music. Everyone loves a novelty jingle but it may be distract Dave from accounts in his final year financial analysis. He doesn’t participate in much human interaction, so be nice and don’t ruin his time in the sun.
Take these tips on board and go forth and conquer phone conferencing in all its glory.
February 3, 2010
Filed under: Business Finance — Alan @ 5:29 am
New research shows that small companies are now using their own resources to fund their organizations since they no longer are able to secure decent credit from banking institutions.
In a survey completed by the Scotland Federation of Small Businesses over a fifth of bosses were forced to turn to their own savings to make it through 2009. Also shown in the survey was the fact that only a third of the SMEs actually used a bank overdraft in order to continue to finance their activities.
The FBS concluded from their study that Scottish firms needed better access to flexible and affordable bank credit.
Out of the 1,200 firms that were surveyed between the months of last September and October, about ten percent said they used personal credit, including credit cards, company credit, or a bank loan but over half of them did actually use these lines of credit during the month of October, which is when the base rate of the Bank of England fell to its lowest point ever.
About 33% reported that bank facilities had changed their interest rates with only about one out of six actually lowering their interest.
Out of the firms included in the FBS survey, only 30% saw an increase in their profits while 47% reported they saw their overall profits plummet.
In terms of expansion, 47% also reported that they planned to keep their business its current size until the recession passed with 32% stating that they planned on about a fifth of future expansion.
January 30, 2010
Filed under: Business Advice, CBI — admin @ 2:36 pm
Small businesses will be looking to capitalise on the anticipated market upturn this year. In this special webTV show, Lord Digby Jones will be offering his unparalleled expert advice and invaluable entrepreneurial insights and experiences to help business owners, entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs ensure they are in the strongest position possible.
Lord Jones has had a lifetime in business – travelling to over 70 markets across the world gaining a unique breadth of knowledge and experience. He spent 6 years as the Director General of the CBI, held the position of Minister of State for UK Trade & Investment and has unrivalled heritage in advising a multitude of businesses around the world.
To coincide with the new Vodafone ‘Business First’ store, based in Cheapside, London, join this webTV show with Lord Digby Jones who will be offering his unparalleled expert advice on the key priorities to ensure small business growth in 2010.
The exclusive Business Clinic featuring Lord Digby Jones and Rob Shardlow from Vodafone will be shown at 7.30pm on Tuesday, 2 February. You can ask your questions in advance by entering them via the form below. Following the broadcast, the show will be available ‘on demand’. Last submission for questions is 3pm on 2nd February.
For more information on Vodafone business services, visit http://online.vodafone.co.uk/business/virtual-home
January 29, 2010
Filed under: Business Software, Business Tools — admin @ 1:14 pm
Online publishing has been around for a decade, since people first started putting their text files on the Internet to share. Of course, publisher software has come a long way since then, and digital magazine versions are now increasingly sophisticated.
If you’ve not considered the advantages of online publishing, or thought about using self publishing software to create an online magazine, book or other product, including music and images, now could be the time to consider doing so.
Digital publishing can help you to reach an almost unlimited global audience. You may well find that, if you also have a printed version, paper magazine subscriptions go up as a result of the increased exposure. A digital magazine gives a reader a chance to view the product in detail before committing to long-term magazine subscriptions.
Digital publishing is also much cheaper, with almost nothing in the way of start-up, type-setting or delivery costs.
Using publishing software to self publish your own digital magazine or other product means deadlines can be self-imposed rather than dictated by printing press or advertising deadlines. If your online magazine does carry adverts, your advertisers will love the extra exposure, and the way your product can potentially reach billions of people much more cheaply than paper magazine subscriptions.
Unlike bookshops or newsagents’, the Internet is always open for business, with people able to view the digital magazine of their choice whenever they like.
If you thought self publishing a digital magazine or book using publisher software required vast amounts of technical expertise, think again. Modern publishing software makes it easier than ever to experiment, and the room for creativity is just about endless. Digital publishing also means there is never really a final version of your digital magazine, since you can use the publishing software to change your online magazine as often as you want.
Publisher software also allows you to control administration and all costings electronically, saving you time and money. At the same time, publishing software means you can track crucial reader statistics and see exactly how your readers are behaving at the push of a few buttons.
The other thing about digital publishing, whether you’re self publishing a digital magazine, a web-based novel or anything else, is that it’s the environmentally friendly option, No paper means no trees are cut down for wood pulp, and no road deliveries, so no carbon emissions from delivery vehicles.
Self publishing online is also great for you readers. Many people just love the chance to be able to enjoy a digital magazine for free. They’ll also love the chance to give you instant feedback on your online magazine or novel, and to interact with each other by discussing your online magazine on one of the many online publishing forums around.
If you’re serious about looking into publisher software, think about Yudu Publishing Pro. This software allows you to self publish an online magazine with your own branding. It includes a system for full and close monitoring of reader behaviour, and a magazine subscriptions management system, among many other features.
Take a closer a look at how digital publishing could transform your product today, and reach a new worldwide audience, by seeing what Yudu Publishing Pro has to offer.
Filed under: Business Advice, Business Tools, Employees — admin @ 8:07 am
Three in four UK employees claim to have been affected by the recent bad weather, with just over one in ten not able to work at all. This disruption to UK businesses, as well as the wider economic climate, has emphasised the need for companies to develop a robust business continuity strategy.
Developing solutions involving an adaptable workforce that can function with equal efficiency both inside and outside the office is one way of ensuring customer service isn’t compromised, come rain or shine. This is especially important considering the majority of employees – 55% according to a survey – now expect to work from home more frequently.
But there are wide-ranging issues when it comes to flexible working, like trying to monitor staff away from the office and ensuring employees are available to managers, clients or customers throughout the working day, no matter where they are. Accessibility is especially important for small businesses with high standards when it comes to efficiency, service and personal contact.
You might find this ‘onnectivity clinic’ with Dr Rob Matthews, of Vodafone UK, who will be offering advice and top tips on how best to incorporate flexible working plans and digital technology into small businesses.
It begins live at 2pm on Friday 29th January at 2pm when you can discuss staying connected to a mobile workforce by submitting your questions in advance. Don’t worry if you miss it as it will be streamed live on demand following the live showing.
frameborder=0>
For more information visit www.vodafone.co.uk/suresignal
Filed under: CBI — Alan @ 4:40 am
Director General of the business group, the CBI, Richard Lambert, stated that the county is overall 10pc poorer than it was expected to be before the recession hit. In order to make up for this discrepancy the director stated that the UK will need to work hard to grow as much as possible in the next five years.
Lambert warned last night that if such growth does not occur the upcoming life chances of the new generation of young people will be significantly impaired. Among the results will be an unemployment rate that stays high and lower standards of living.
His comments came directly before the GDP data is delivered today by the Office for National Statistics, which is expected to reveal that economy finally started to repair itself throughout the final quarter of 2009.
Predictions include a .4pc rise by economists in the GDP, which will finally mark the end of the recession officially after six quarters of a consistently decreasing GDP. According to Lambert, Britain has had a slower recovery than the other major economies which have already shown signs of recovery.
Lambert continued to say that growth will come mostly from the trade and private sector investment since the public sector will need all of its resources as it tries to get the finances of the nation back in order.
However, he did state that for the moment most businesses are still attempting to conserve their cash out of fear, which means it will take a while before the market starts to actively come alive again.
January 27, 2010
Filed under: Business Tools — admin @ 9:36 am
BT Business has launched its new fibre broadband service, BT Business Total Broadband Fibre. The product will be offering download speeds of up to 40Mb/s, from £30 per month, and provides business traffic priority at times of contention .
It is claimed that it will provide the UK’s fastest upstream speeds of up to 10Mb/s which business allows to benefit from services such as VOIP, high-definition vidoe conferencing and business-grade cloud applications. In addition it will also make home and remote working a reality, allowing staff to remain connected to the office at all times.
A dedicated broadband “fast lane” also puts business user traffic first at times of contention to help firms continue to work faster, do more, reduce operational costs and boost productivity.
Businesses in Muswell Hill, Whitchurch and Glasgow Halfway have already been enjoying the faster 40Mb/s broadband service through a BT trial. The service will now be made available to approximately 500,000 homes and businesses from 31-enabled exchanges by late February. A further two million homes and businesses will be able to access the services by late summer following the roll out of the technology by Openreach, BT’s local access division. By 2012, some 10 million premises – are expected to have access.
From 26 January, new and existing BT Business customers in an enabled exchange area will automatically be eligible for the fibre service. 50 per cent of UK businesses can currently also receive ADSL 2+ broadband speeds of up to 20Mb/s at no extra cost to copper services.
Further information available at http://business.bt.com/broadband-and-internet/internet-access/broadband/next-generation-broadband
January 25, 2010
Filed under: Business Finance — Alan @ 7:16 am
Within the next three years over 35 countries will start to follow the same international accounting rules for SMEs, which will increase pressure on developed nations to implement the new set of standards.
Many of the counties that have pledged to utilize the standards are either emerging or developing economies and have noted that they would like to use the new financial standards for SMEs fully by the year 2013.
Director of standards for SMEs for the International Accounting Standards Board, Paul Pacter, conducted the poll during a meeting in 2009 after the new rules were in force for two months.
The project, which is based on a seven year timeline, is aimed at producing a consistent set of rules for use by SMES that were published in July of 2009 in a 230 page booklet. The booklet was met with approval from the World Bank and many other international organizations as a positive way for emerging economies to increase the capital within their counties.
The goal of standardization of accounting is that investors will better understand how much a company is valued at, regardless of where it operates, which may prompt them to invest in a company they otherwise would overlook.
Some of the most eager countries to start using the new standards were Brazil, Swaziland, and El Salvador, which all are considered to be emerging nations.
Pacter said this is due to the fact that the smaller counties want to have better access to potential capital which the consistency will allow them. He now feels that the time is right for the EU to take a positive lead in implementing the same rules within the Union
January 21, 2010
Filed under: Business Advice — Alan @ 6:17 am
Although it is hard for any SME from the UK to break into the sales field of the US, ExportAction Ltd is attempting to help struggling businesses by publishing ten free tip sheets that help out small businesses that have larger dreams.
The sheets will not be available to purview as a large batch, but instead will be emailed to interested businesses throughout ten working days in a row. They will be written in simple English and kept brief but poignant.
There are ten major points that will be covered on each of the tips sheets including frequently asked questions such as LLC or Inc for the US, ROI, the US market in general, and how to use telephone and fax lines appropriately to reach the US.
ExportAction has plenty of credentials behind their new effort given the fact that the company president and co-founder Roger Frampton has assisted hundreds of companies across the UK develop sales and business strategies for breaking into the US. He also has spent time employed with several US companies and working with the UKTI (UK Trade & Investment) for the last ten years.
The company additionally has headquarters in London and Florida, US plus satellite offices that operate out of New York and California. Additionally, at the moment the company despite its expansion is debt free and earning a profit each year while continuing to fund its own efforts without help from any other financial institutions.
Next Page »
