Pinterest is the hub of inspiration for multiple different things varying from interior décor to cake recipes, and it inspires millions of users on a monthly basis, 175 million active monthly users to be exact. Although Pinterest’s visitor figures may not be as impressive as social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, it still has loyal users, the number of which is continuously increasing. The versatility of ideas and creativity of the social platform is what attracts its millions of users. Whether you need a Pinterest profile as part of your social media strategy will depend on your business, however the potential of the huge reach can really be a game changer for businesses.
SMEs
The problem with the lack of diversity in the life sciences industry is more severe than people perhaps imagined according to new research conducted by the Epsen Fuller Group earlier this year. Only 12.7% and 8.3% of directorships of small to micro pharma, medical devices and bio tech companies are women. The research also shows that there’s been little progress since 2000 in decreasing racial disparities for interest and aptitude in STEM subjects.
The late payment culture in the UK has been plaguing the livelihood of small businesses and causing severe financial strains. The federation of small business (FSB) is urging for more effective policies from the Prompt Payment Code (PPC) which has failed small businesses in the past. The demise of Carillion has effected thousands of people and many businesses that it owed money to.
Since the referendum, Brexit has impacted small businesses in more negative ways than positive, it has left millions of small businesses with lack of confidence and uncertainty about the future. In a survey conducted by Insolvency Practitioners MGJL to check up on the health of businesses, the results were far from positive, especially regarding the Tech industry.
Husband and wife left the retired life behind to give themselves a challenge again, so they set up a business. Scrumpies of Mayfair, was a project that breathed life into their retirement for the couple, who had left an international law firm behind. Here, Vicki gives the story behind her and her husbands journey or retirement and entrepreneurship.
The digital age is upon us. HMRC is planning a total digital switchover which is set to be rolled out from April 2019. For some, this isn’t anything new – Making Tax Digital (MTD) has been in the public domain for a good while now.
Inventory management ensures the stock and supplies your staff have access to are monitored continually, to ensure nothing runs out and that invoices and purchase orders are generated correctly.
The power of social media is undeniable, the importance it serves for small businesses cannot be ignored. From building relationships with existing customers and clients to connecting with prospective customers, social media is a force to be reckoned with, especially in terms of reach. Small businesses must invest time in creating, building and growing social media profiles on multiple different platforms, as it is a vital part of success.
Outsourcing is a vital part of the contemporary business model – more and more serious companies are turning to hiring remote workers each day. Whether you’re in need of a temporary employee, or you’re looking for serious talent to add to your team permanently, remote employment is the way to go.
One of the biggest recruitment challenges faced by businesses is a lack of applications. In a recent survey conducted by Forde HR Cloud, 23% of SMEs revealed that this is their main recruitment issue.
Becoming a married couple transforms relationships into a formal partnership intended to be something that will help us in carrying out the rest of our lives. However, when it comes down to business within that partnership, many couples have split opinions. Starting a business with your spouse is either the best decision spouses ever make or something that they firmly regret.
Providing the best customer service can almost always be a deciding factor of the success of your business. Building a client base that is loyal can really help your business thrive. Therefore, providing customer service should really be a prominent part of every business’ goals and objectives. Proving a good service means that you can bring the customers back as well as sending them away happy and satisfied.
You’ve come up with that bullet-proof business idea. Numerous micro-pitches have been made over drinks. You’ve planned, plotted, dreamt, and now what? How do you translate your concept to money in the bank? Or, more importantly, how do you do it successfully? Informi give you an insight on how to get started and get prepared to climb the entrepreneurial ladder.
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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The end of the year is often a quiet time for non-retail focused companies, as staff and management look forward to Christmas and the New Year and begin to wind down in anticipation. This can mean that big decisions are left for January. By and large this makes sense; there’s little reason to institute changes which won’t really go into full effect until January or beyond.
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 children, there was always time for naps, cloud-watching, or simply to lie around and just ‘be’. But as business owners it can feel as though there simply isn’t the time to kickback, explore, play, and dare we say, go on an adventure. There is always more work to do on the business!
It may seem extremely difficult and hard to run a seasonal business, however if managed carefully then it can be a success. Seasonal fluctuations can create a problem for all businesses, however seasonal businesses embrace these fluctuations and develop skills and strategies in order to thrive.
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If you are the owner of an SME or are responsible for the cyber security of one, you might never have heard of Managed Detection and Response services (MDR). However, that is something that needs to change quickly. MDR services can be extremely valuable to SMEs and overlooking them will likely not only cost you money but will also make you more vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
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In a study carried out by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) it was found that a staggering £7 billion is being wasted by small and medium-sized businesses which have been overpaying on their gas and electricity bills. And yet, this massive overspend could easily be avoided – says Nolan Braterman from Frontier Utility.
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