Bills are one of those things that everyone will, from time to time, give a subtle groan to when they get them in the post. When running a business, it can sometimes feel easier to simply pay whatever it says on the paper and not stop to think if it makes sense.

Having seen businesses continue to succeed while their employees work from home during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s no surprise that a number of companies plan to keep offering the option of remote working. In fact, according to a Gartner Inc survey, 82% of business leaders plan to allow their staff to work remotely some of the time.

Reopening your business or bringing additional staff back to the office is a positive step. However, there are also anxieties around keeping everyone safe – your staff and also anyone else visiting your premises. Looking ahead how will you be able to judge when your risks in relation to Covid-19 increase, and you need to do something different? Will you be able to identify a new source of infection in good time? One way to help with all of this is to introduce regular and methodical testing.

In an ever-competitive and constantly evolving online landscape, your business’ eCommerce website needs to be fully equipped to outshine competitors – especially with Statista predicting there will be more than 2.14 billion people shopping online in 2021.

When you are starting out as an entrepreneur, your dream is to grow your business into something much bigger. But once you turn this dream into reality, you should now plan on bringing new talents on board to ease pressure on your current workforce. This requires detailed planning and thorough vetting to ensure you add the right people to your time.

If you’re running a limited company, there are certain details you must include on your invoices by law and others which should be included. Your aim is to provide accurate information which fully describes what services are included, and concise company details to ensure that you get paid correctly, and on time. Writing an invoice can be straightforward, once you understand all the details that will need to be featured.
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Managing a remote team, while extremely rewarding can come with its own set of challenges. The good news, however, is that with the right tips on how to organise and manage your remote team, you can conquer the problems you might face and create a high-performing remote team.

As an entrepreneur who is considering opening a small restaurant, you have to think about whether you are to invest time, money, and hard work into making it a proper business.

It is not uncommon to experience delays in a business only to be slapped with the phrase, “that’s how we have always done it.” While some tasks need to follow a specific process, you will agree that other processes are complicated for no good reason.

Many business owners, including contractors, may have found it difficult to secure a competitive mortgage in the past. However, more enlightened lenders and mortgage brokers are happy to provide a mortgage for limited company directors, who may find it hard to prove income on a ‘traditional’ basis.

The year 2020 has seen a steep uptick in people working remotely. This is changing how businesses are communicating with customers. Many businesses have moved their communications to the cloud to make employee customer interactions seamless. Still, some businesses fear that having employees work remotely will inhibit their ability to successfully connect with customers.

Readers question: My wife and I are both independent sole traders. My wife is an artist and illustrator and I run a small cafe. My question is, how do we change from being independent sole traders to registering as one company so that we can trade as one entity as a limited company?

The last few months have been, shall we say, ‘challenging’ for many business owners and when you’re faced with constant stress and uncertainty it can be easy to lose the passion you once felt for your business. The good news is; you can reconnect with that passion, and use the opportunity to create a new balance in your life.

Reader’s question:  I have a limited company, formed in 2004 and believe we only have two ordinary shares of £1 allotted. I thought it was 100 but we cannot locate our articles of association. Assuming our accounts say 2 ordinary shares of £1 each presumably that is the case?

Venturing into the international marketplace provides you with the opportunity to sell products at a larger scale. You might have been long considering entering into this marketplace, or you may have recently decided that this step can help you to increase the business’s profits. In any case, learning some strategies for succeeding in the international market can boost your chances of success.

As businesses start opening up again in the UK, many small companies are asking themselves the same question: “How to really get my business going after three months of hardship?”

Today, more and more businesses are making the commitment to sustainable and eco-friendly business practices, not just to appeal to discerning customers, but to save money in the long term, too. Big or small, businesses can’t afford to ignore the growing climate crisis and the responsibility to do their part. Fortunately, giving your business a green makeover is easier than it sounds, and a little goes a long way.

A good sign of business growth is the need for more staff. As your business grows, one of the most important roles you will have to fill is an IT/Tech support professional within the business. Majority of the businesses in today’s world will need some sort of IT support for the business and its employees, in order to work efficiently. IT staff can ensure that your other staff are able to effectively work as well as finding new tech to support your business whether this is new software or new equipment.

Despite more shops opening as the lockdown is being eased there are still many businesses that will remain closed or at best will be operating at reduced capacity for a while yet. A large number of employees will stay on furlough until autumn.  All this means that ‘business as usual’ is a long way off. Unless your business happens to be one of those fortunate ones that have been doing well since the lockdown started, you may be seriously concerned about survival.