The digital world has been marching forward over the past 20 years, providing ever more efficient services to the public and businesses via the internet, and now there is a new revolution on the horizon. The industrial revolution transformed manual work; Artificial Intelligence (AI) will dramatically change the nature of the service industry and white-collar work.
small business
So you have a great idea and a business plan and you want to grow a successful online business. Not surprising, given that online sales now make up over 17% of all purchases in the UK and there’s no sign of that slowing down.
Your website may be the best tool you have to improve your public relations and boost your image. However, in order for your site to be effective, you first have to learn what elements make for a great site, and how users will be affected by your web design decisions. Here are some ideas from Webs Union to get you thinking about your site in terms of PR.
The claims management market is exceedingly busy at the moment. The announcement of the PPI deadline for 29th August 2019 means businesses are working harder than ever to encourage as many customers as possible to make a claim. With over £30 billion already paid to consumers, the industry is receiving a good sum of money by working on behalf of consumers — an amount which is likely to increase as the deadline nears.
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As a small business owner, you know the only thing that’s certain in business is that the unexpected will happen. Preparing for these unexpected events is therefore one of the most crucial parts of your role as business owner. After all, no one else is going to help you anticipate the challenges you will face in the course of doing business, and some of your competitors might even be hoping that you don’t anticipate them so your business will fail.
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‘Health foods and health drinks are growth markets. And if you’re dreaming, like I did, of starting your own health food or beverage brand, then I’d like to share with you what I learnt when launching INIU’, says the founder of the health food brand INIU.
Hiring young people can be very beneficial for small business owners that have a heavy workload and small budget. You can take on young people through various programmes; you may wish to offer a week’s work experience, a three-month internship or even longer apprenticeships. When it comes to taking on young people as employees, you will need to make sure that you are fully compliant with the employment law. Seek the advice of an HR professional, if you don’t have an in-house HR team/department.
When it comes to hiring for any role, the main priority is getting the right candidate. You may need to look outside the UK if the applicants you are getting are not quite what you are looking for. There may be various reasons for wanting to employ people from overseas, however, whatever your reason you will need to adhere to certain rules and regulations.
If you are thinking of selling, renting out or building business premises, you need to be aware of what an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is and why you will need one. If you do not pay attention to this requirement and ensure that you have an EPC in place, you could end up facing costly fines. Here is a guide from EPC For You to get you prepared.
All business owners look for ways to grow their business quickly. It’s dangerous when you become too comfortable, it means that your business can get stagnant. Always strive for more, challenge yourself and take risks to reap the rewards. Below are seven tips from David Simmons, a financial analyst from Ebroker, to help you grow your business quickly.
Giving to charity is an honourable, kind-hearted thing to do, yet for many, the giving stops once we enter our office or place of work. Although putting money in charity collection boxes, donating to food banks and homeless shelters or even just volunteering an hour or two of our time is becoming increasingly commonplace, when we are at work, the options for giving seem to dwindle.
HR is an important part of a business, whether you have an entire department looking after the HR of your business or just one person. It’s vital that a small business has an HR professional on board. However even when businesses have dedicated professionals to manage their HR, mistakes are still made that can be avoided. In the worst case scenario, HR mistakes can lead to a court case, with huge legal fines that can be detrimental to a business.
Business growth is what every entrepreneur wants to see. But as your fledgeling organisation begins to spread its wings, you will likely find yourself spread ever thinner, spending more of every day distracted by things that have nothing to do with your core business.
DBS (Disclosure and Barring Services) checks are sometimes a legal requirement when going through the hiring process. If you are a small business owner looking at recruiting for your business, you will need to familiarise yourself with DBS checks, if they are relevant. DBS checks, previously known as CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) checks, may be essential to working in certain places and positions.
In the latest research conducted by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), it was found that the self-employed are not very optimistic about the future. The self-employed in the UK are the largest business group, with there being an estimated of 4.8 million sole traders. The FSB are launching a ‘Think Self-Employed’ scheme to rescue the collapsing confidence of the self-employed in the UK.
Like many business owners, you may dread holiday periods coming around. Finding someone to fill in for an employee’s essential duties can be a dismal task. However, there are positive days ahead, as your business will benefit in the following ways when your employee returns from their vacation. Here Austrack Campers highlight why it’s important to encourage your employees to travel while on paid time off.
When you are self-employed you will pay your tax based on the income and expenses you show on your Self Assessment tax return. Here Simple Tax will give you an insight of the Self Assessment process and your legal obligations as a self-employed individual.
Telecom related issues can cost a business time and money, and create stress for anyone in the department that has to operate the telecom software alongside their usual tasks. Although telecom software can be an asset to certain businesses, it’s not always the perfect answer to your Telecom Expense Management (TEM) needs. There are so many components of TEM – from reviewing invoices, dealing with vendors, auditing invoices and negotiating contracts – so why not hire an expert team to do it for you?
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Jose Melico is the latest entrepreneur to join others in our success story series. Jose came up with the idea of Zypho when he was just fourteen. Zypho is a water heat recovery device that reduces shower water heating energy bills. Being energy conscious and thinking about a solution to a problem enabled Jose to come up with this winning business idea at such a young age. In his success story, the entrepreneur discusses having a solid team and the skills required to keep a business going.
Within the arsenal of today’s most effective marketing tactics is SMS (aka text messaging) campaigns. While mass texting can yield an incredibly high return on investment, as it lands directly in the hands of your target audience, you need to incorporate the best practices into your strategy to ensure your recipients are actually paying attention to the message you’re seeking to deliver.
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