April 30, 2011
Filed under: Small Business News — Alan @ 10:33 pm
The hope, and indeed the expectation has long been that small businesses would be a strong driving force in the U.K.’s economic recovery and growth. However the latest quarterly report from the Forum of Private Business indicates that small business owners are still fighting an uphill battle, and losing confidence in their ability to get the job done.
Compared with the response to the Forum’s survey in December 2010, when about 30% of respondents expected to hire new staff in the coming year, this survey showed only about 20% who still thought they would be able to do so. Factors cited in the report included the tax structure and all the red tape involved, the high cost of recruitment as well as rising fuel and product prices, and the lack of support for improvement of skills needed to keep up with a rapidly changing business environment.
Amongst the business owners surveyed, about a fourth said they would need an increase in profit in order to retain and/or add to their current staff. Another 17% cited a simpler and more business-friendly tax set-up as a partial solution; others said more support for training employees in new skills is a crucial factor. Overall the level of confidence in future growth and prosperity has waned over the last quarter, and that is a worrying state of affairs, according to the Forum’s research director.
Another worry is the government’s plan to scrap the default retirement age, which the Forum says will undermine the ability of small businesses to plan ahead and make the best possible use of employees’ skills. What is needed is more re-training and updating of skills for both existing employees and new hires, and the large majority of business owners believe they will need outside help for that.
Filed under: FSB — Alan @ 7:58 am
The Federation of Small Business is deeply worried over the Labour’s Assembly Election Manifesto. Their anxiety stems from the lack of concern for small businesses, as reflected in the manifesto.
The Small Business Fortnight bulletin examines the pledges of four parties and the FSB expressed grave disconcert that Labour’s manifesto treated the economy as unimportant. Labour disagrees with FSB’s criticism, indicating that their manifesto is filled with concern and plans to assist small and medium enterprises (SME).
In the end, the FSB applauded each party’s policies as reflecting many of the suggestions FSB had submitted. “We are vexed that Labour has placed special emphasis on large companies and disregarded SME’s. Everyone should be deeply worried that the economy does not place in the top five for them either.”
Labour countered this, “Our plan states that we are dedicated to placing broadband in the hands of all businesses by 2015. We are also planning a special business crime task force to support SME’s. So our support for SME’s speaks for itself.”
“Many Welsh SME’s are benefiting from Welsh Labour’s plan for business rate relief. They are being removed from the paying rates.”
April 28, 2011
Filed under: Business Advice — admin @ 2:49 pm
Chris Wood writes on behalf of Hanover Sterling, a finance company offering debt management plans.
Three-quarters of mobile phone subscribers in the UK are wasting an average of nearly £200 a year through being on the wrong phone contract. The study, conducted by OFCOM approved mathematical study group Billmonitor, makes interesting reading for anyone trying to cut down their monthly expenditure.
What the study shows is that the fear of being charged excessive fees for exceeding the ‘free’ minute allowance in phone contracts is driving users to sign up for contracts three or four times bigger than their usage requires.
Just 25% of UK phone users actually meet their monthly allowance, according to the research which compares users’ real-life bills to available phone deals. But with 8,134,979 different contract permutations on the UK market, is it any wonder that a lot of people are struggling to find the right deal?
In a short space of time, a mobile phone has gone from being a luxury item to something approaching a necessity. The mobile communications sector is one of the most profitable in the UK, yet it is also one of the most competitive. There are very good deals to be found if you know where to look, and reducing your mobile phone contract can really help you if you’re struggling with your finances.
The first step is to analyse how you use your phone; a rough understanding of how many minutes of call time, text messages and data allowance will help you find a deal that works for you. Also ask yourself whether you really need a smartphone. There are some great deals to be had on more ‘traditional’ handsets that still provide you with email and internet access.
Once you know what you’re looking for, try the excellent calculator on Billmonitor’s site, and see how much money you could save each month.
Filed under: Business Travel — admin @ 9:16 am
An Advertorial Feature
You don’t drive to work. You take public transport. Usually it’s fine. But then you have to travel for business in the middle of the day, last minute. You don’t want to get a cab because you’ll be ferrying things between a couple of places and the meter will go berserk waiting for you to complete your tasks at each establishment. What if one of your clients stops you for a conversation and it’s really important? Suddenly you realise it’s going to be a half hour talk. You could forgo the pressure and just hire a car for a few hours. There’s so much car hire choice around. Once the car is organised, you only have yourself to deal with. Here are a few ways you can make sure you have all the things you might need for a last minute round-trip of the city installed in your office:
Get some flat-packed cardboard boxes from a stationery store. They won’t take up much space under your desk and you can pull them out at a second’s notice ready to box up whatever it is that needs transporting, from files and paperwork to a change of clothes. The boxes will fit neatly in the boot of an empty hired car.
GPS systems are an invention it’s hard to believe people went without before they came along. Hiring a car is going to make life easier than it would be getting a cab. But it’s unlikely you’ll have memorised the A to Z on top of your daily workload. These days you can get sat navs with photo navigation as well as street maps. Some are even able to give you live traffic information. They also tell you where speed cameras are. A sat nav will easily fit in your desk drawer.
A hands-free set will also fit in your desk drawer. Not wanting to waste precious office hours if you get caught in traffic, a hands-free allows you to make those important business calls. They’ve really moved on too. There are now sets available which not only allow you to make and receive calls but which have Bluetooth technology and hold music. So that saves the space a couple of CDs might have taken up. There are voice activated versions so you don’t even need to touch to answer the phone.
If you aren’t intending to take any unscheduled stops between destinations it’s unlikely you’ll have time to pause for coffee and a snack at your favourite café. So keep a good thermos in your desk. The best keep their contents warm for hours and hours and have space for quite a few cups worth.
Everyone’s worst nightmare when they are out on business is their smartphone running out of battery life. There are a number of in-car chargers on the market for whatever model you carry, which could sit atop your desk. Also worth considering are backup batteries. These plug into the USB socket and will bump your power up by about 50%.
April 25, 2011
Filed under: Small business — Alan @ 10:55 pm
HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) has come under fire from some tax advisors as it starts the trials planned in a new clamp down on the bad records which are being kept by some SME’s, (small and medium sized enterprises).
The HMRC is of the opinion that some small enterprises vastly need to improve on their record keeping and approximately 1200 SME’s are the initial targets in the programme. The aim of this programme is to check the records of 200,000 SME’s over a four-year period, and hopefully raising £600m for the Exchequer at the same time.
The visits had always been scheduled to start in July but HMRC then decided last month to begin what it described as a ‘test and learn’ trial. This was to determine that the criteria tax inspectors are fully versed in what they are looking for in the records to identify errors and spot where tax has been underpaid.
CIOT (Chartered Institute of Taxation) has protested strongly about their lack of consultation over these trials. The protest has been so strong that HMRC has been forced to amend a letter it sent to the targeted enterprises clarifying the basis of the trials.
The Deputy President of CIOT, Anthony Thomas, has publicly accused HMRC of purposefully starting the programme early and of tackling the problem of inaccurate record keeping in completely the wrong way. He is of the opinion that HMRC should have involved tax advisors in the education of SME’s regarding record keeping.
April 21, 2011
Filed under: Business equipment — admin @ 2:29 pm
An Advertorial Feature
The right office equipment can keep important documents and information safe from burglars or fraudsters.
Most people take action to protect their personal identity, but the same precautions are sometimes ignored in a business, often because there are so many people who are involved with sensitive material.
There are some tried and tested products which can help your business store these documents safely, and get rid of the ones you do not want to keep anymore.
Filing Products
Keeping the paper work in your office organised is the most important rule in preventing identity fraud. If you know where you can find a specific document then you will be able to quickly identify when it goes missing.
The right filing system can keep these documents locked away, as most metal products require a key to open them.
If the documents are not organised it is not always obvious when they go missing, and usually only the person who last had that document can find it. However, if the document is filed away correctly, then anyone should be able to retrieve it, whether the last person who had it is in the office that day or not.
Shredders
No office will keep all the pieces of paper and letters that have their details on them filed away. Even if they are filed for a certain number of years, at some point these become outdated and are no longer needed.
When disposing of any document that has the company’s information on it, like an address, or invoices with bank details included, then they should be shredded to ensure the information does not fall into the wrong hands.
The better the office shredder, the safer the document is to dispose of, there have been cases where fraudsters piece together the shredded paper to gain the information they require, so the finer the shreds, the better.
This is sometimes hard when an office wants to recycle the paper they use. This can still be achieved as long as the employees in your office remember to shred the paper that has sensitive information before putting it in the recycling bin. If you have a good quality paper shredder this process is quick and easy and does not take up time in a busy day.
Filed under: Business Tools — Alan @ 10:20 am
Ducati build motorbikes, Ducati build state of the art motorbikes, Ducati build very fast motorbikes, Ducati build some of the slickest road machines in the world, Ducati build the sort after motorbikes in the business, Ducati build the kind of big boy’s toys that speed-merchants crave, Ducati build dream-machines. Ducati are masters in the production of the ultimate in speed and style when it comes to the design and crafting of true superbikes.
There is no question that Ducati are world leaders in their chosen field. Unfortunately their innovation and design in the world of office equipment is somewhat lacking, in fact this is an area where Ducati has no skill whatsoever.
So it is pretty obvious that the frontrunner in the biking world needs to be partnered with the premier office equipment company in the world, Xerox, if they want to support their business needs.
So it was a simple marriage to partner the best bikes with the best office equipment to supply the office support that is needed to back up their first class bikes, and allow the company to function to the very best of its abilities in all areas of their business. So was born the Ducati Xerox World Superbike team, a winning combination of very fast motorbikes and super efficient office back-up.
Filed under: General — Alan @ 6:52 am
A new report from CBI has indicated that one of the highest income taxes in the world and the FSA regulations are deterring overseas businesses from investing in the UK. This is very much putting the country’s economic recovery in danger.
The new report “Making the UK the best place to invest” brings together the testimonies of 400 CBI members which have been collated through opinion polls and one-on-one interviews. It also suggests that the desirability of the UK as an investment opportunity has seriously declined over the past 10 years. This isn’t being helped by the competition from overseas which is increasing all the time.
The burden of the FSA regulations is seen as an ‘investment blocker’ so say the CBI, who also cites the UK as 89th out of 139 countries in the World Economic Forum. This is the same ranking as Nigeria. Due to the continuing reduction on spending in the consumer and public sectors, business investment is seen as a vital component of the Country’s recovery.
The report also says that where bank taxes are concerned, in particular Solvency II and Basel II, the UK is out of sync with its competing countries and is risking its advantage of being a world leader in the insurance and banking sectors. The European CE of Fidelity Int. Robert Higginbotham is quoted in the report as saying that Business jobs and opportunities are going overseas, and the Government must have a look at why that is.
The report carries on by saying that International firms are heavily influenced by the tax regimes of countries they are looking to invest in, and the 50% top rate income tax and high corporation tax are both acting as deterrents.
April 20, 2011
Filed under: Small Business News — Alan @ 2:42 am
A pledge has been made to the Greater Manchester small and mid sized businesses by the Royal Bank of Scotland boss to get them the funding they need to expand. The Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and the RBS are partnering to launch a £4m partnership to provide the SME’s that have been dined financing elsewhere, funding.
By accessing grants from central government and Europe the Business Finance Solutions Service will lend to businesses that are determined to have a viable business plan but be looked over and refused bank loans. Even though RPS is not using their cash they will help market the scheme via their network of high street RBS and branches of Nat West.
There are always those businesses that fall betweens the cracks and we do not want that to happen. Over 85% of businesses that asked for funding last year were approved and that was like it was before the crisis. Percentages show that those 15% that were declined will include some that we made mistakes on and have viable reasons to get funding.
It is a good idea and the reason that the scheme was made. The SME part of the initiative will provide business support services and to loans from £3,000 to £50,000 depending on the need and qualifications of the applicants.
April 16, 2011
Filed under: Business equipment,Small business — admin @ 4:10 pm
If you’re starting up in business or already own a growing venture then office space is always an area where it’s possible to get a better deal, just as long as you know where to look. Thanks to the internet, it’s now quick and easy to use a comparison website in much the same way as you’d go hunting for broadband or mobile phone deals.
What’s on offer?
If you use the services of an online comparison website to look for desk or office space you’ll immediately find that the best thing about it is convenience. Since the recession has been rolling on many existing businesses are looking for ways to maximise the spare space they have available, so it’s very likely that you’ll be able to get something at a great price.
When it comes to the options on offer then there is a wealth of locations and office types to choose from. What’s more, you’ll find that it’s possible to rent everything from a single desk in a shared office right up to renting whole offices. The desk option is a great idea for any one-man band operations or for people who don’t want to work from home.
In addition, by renting a desk in an existing office block you’ll probably get an instantly credible postal address and a possible location in the centre of a town or city. Business parks also have these options available too and generally speaking even the most rudimentary desk space rental will come with the likes of broadband and utilities included. These deals can be cheap and flexible, so if
you’re working to a tight budget then they’re worth investigating.
Bigger and better
If your business is on the up and you need to expand more than that then think about searching deals on shared offices or serviced offices. The serviced route means that you’ll get a lot more included.
This could add on things like receptionists, post and IT services. Again, the benefit of going down this route is that the deals will invariably be highly flexible. You’ll probably be able to move in almost instantly and costs are generally included in one simple bill.
Leased space is another option to look at if your business requires offices that can be tailored to suit your branding and the lease will probably allow you to make amendments to thing’s like the décor and furniture. Costs might be higher and you’ll probably have to sign up for a longer contract while you’ll also have to return the office to its original décor when you move out.
Nevertheless, this is a good concept if you have a venture that needs to expand beyond the confines of your current office setup.
About the author: Rob Clymo writes on behalf of Office Genie, the UK’s first proper online marketplace for desk space and shared office space.
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