The British Franchise Association (BFA) together with HSBC UK have launched another year of Franchise Awards, celebrating the success of franchisees and franchisors. The entries for the 2018 franchise awards are now open and all franchisors and franchisees in the UK are encouraged to get involved, and take part in the prestigious industry event.
Small Business News
With rising domestic costs, small businesses are really feeling the squeeze and are struggling to survive. In the latest Federation of Small Business (FSB) quarterly Small Business Index, it was found that a record number of businesses are planning to either downsize, sell or close their small business in the upcoming months.
The new Small Business Commissioner, Paul Uppal is driving the change that needs to take place, regarding small businesses being paid late. Larger businesses and companies unfair treatment of small businesses, and the culture that has become a norm can really have detrimental effect on small businesses. Therefore, when the Small Business Commissioner was appointed earlier this year, one of the major issues that he said he would deal with was the late payments problem.
It’s difficult for small business owners to switch off, being a business owner means a huge work load that sometimes may seem never ending. Therefore, having a work/life balance is something that small business owners only aspire to have. It has become a culture in the UK to constantly be ‘on’, hence its not surprising that the UK’s workforce is crumbling under a digital overload, because they don’t get a chance to switch off.
With a £250, 000 prize money for business investment up for grabs, as well as partnership with Lord Sugar, the Apprentice is a huge business opportunity for the candidates. With only one week left of the battle to win Lord Sugar over, the show is coming to a close. The two finalists have been revealed, James White and Sarah Lynn, despite one of them being fired from their previous job.
As Brits, weather is not usually on our side. However, when you run a business and are faced with severe weather conditions such as several inches of snow, there are only certain things you can do. There are a few ways of mitigating the effects of bad weather on businesses, and of course they will vary. If you are a blogger, you might work from home and snow may have minimal effect on your day to day business. On the other hand, if you run a coffee shop on a high-street, then getting customers and staff through the door will pose a challenge.
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People can get angry anywhere, whether it’s on the street or at work, anger is a natural emotion. However, it is essential to diffuse anger in the workplace to avoid any irreparable damage that may occur. Anger is a normal reaction, it could be directed towards another employee, or an employee might be angry at themselves. In order to ensure minimum damage, its best to address the anger and use techniques of emotional intelligence to diffuse the anger in the work place.
The Brits have started adopting American retail/shopping holidays in the recent years, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday being huge hits with the shoppers. Another retail holiday is making its way in the UK, the Small Business Saturday. It has been inspired by the American Small Business Saturday, which takes place traditionally the Saturday after Thanksgiving. However in the UK, Small Business Saturday will be celebrated in the upcoming weekend, on Saturday 2nd of December.
As the festive season gets underway, many businesses will start to enter a few weeks of spending on items and events that were unplanned or not in their initial budgets. It can add a significant dent in your profitability if steps aren’t taken to ensure your company doesn’t let spending get out of control. Small business owners need to ensure that they keep Christmas costs in check.
Once again, Contractors sat yesterday with baited breath to see how the secrets of Philip Hammond’s red box and the Autumn Budget 2017 would affect them. In his first Budget since the government lost their majority in the general election, it was good to hear the Chancellor affirm his commitment to small businesses, recognising them as the backbone of our economy and praising them for their “vibrancy and resilience”.
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The first ever Autumn Budget 2017 was revealed by the Chancellor Philip Hammond at the houses of Parliament yesterday. The Budget focused on the finances of the country, and how it will affect the citizens of the country, from small business owners to millennials. The budget has mostly had a positive response, especially from the small business community.
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You must notice how our everyday lives are becoming more and more cashless every day. New technologies are inventing easy ways of making payments, from contactless pay to paying with your mobile phone, and as such the need for physical cash is quickly diminishing. In research conducted by Expert Market, it was found that Brits are becoming cash-phobic, and are much less prone to use it in today’s cashless society.
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With the lead up to Christmas and the New Year, business owners are likely to be busy dealing with getting the customers in and operating the business. However, small business owners need to ensure that they plan ahead when it comes to making payments and payment processing. Making payments on time is vital to ensure that everyone has a Merry Christmas and are able to enjoy the festive period.
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With a new Budget around the corner and just a few months since the last one, 2017 has been a bumper year for Budgets. Following on from the Spring Budget in March, Wednesday the 22nd of November will see the first ever Autumn Budget; but why has the date of the Budget changed and how will it impact your business?
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Working out the Value Added Tax (VAT) and making sure that your business is complying with the VAT laws is time consuming for small business owners. In research conducted by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) it was found that small business owners spend a whole working week every year trying to comply with the obligations that come with VAT.
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The Brexit negotiations are underway and the movement of EU citizen’s is at the forefront of the debate amongst British businesses. Access to EU workers for many of the UK’s small businesses is critical. George Ide Solicitors explain what UK businesses think of the ‘settled status’ offer proposed by Theresa May.
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Smartphones have become a necessity in today’s society, for some they have become an extension of the body. From waking you up in the morning with alarm apps to having a late night scroll through your social media. Small businesses need to take into consideration how much time people spend on their phones, especially shopping via smartphones.
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Theresa May made a speech at the Conservative party conference, which some have labelled as ‘disastrous’, however she did manage to address the contribution of small businesses to the UK economy briefly.
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Paul Uppal, an ex conservative MP, has been appointed as Small Business Commissioner (SBC). This role will focus on empowering small businesses and providing guidance and support for the 5.5 small businesses in the UK. His role will be crucial in tackling some of the biggest problems faced by small business owners, such as late payments from big businesses.
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In a report carried out by Centre for Economics and Business Research Ltd (CEBR) for World First, it was found that the UK’s small business sector has become more digital than ever. This movement mirrors the wants and needs of today’s consumers.
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