By Mike Surrey on Small Business UK - Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs Rural broadband is agonisingly slow and small business owners are getting fed up. Here are some ways to perk up your internet speeds The post Rural broadband: how to improve your speed appeared first on Small Business UK ..read more

By Ben Lobel on Small Business UK - Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs Sometimes referred to as crowd lending or P2P lending, peer-to-peer lending offers businesses the opportunity to borrow money from a ‘crowd’ of people (investors) rather than an institution. It works by offering people a platform where they can lend their money to businesses (and also individuals, but we will deal with business peer-to-peer lending here) in return for competitive interest rates. The platform’s source, credit-checks the potential borrower, facilitates the loan and automates (as much as possib ..read more

By Alan Dobie on Small Business UK - Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs For some of us, the past can seem like another world – and in terms of the internet, these days of yore are shores best left behind. Pages which took an age to load, fragile net connections and recalcitrant modems; it was far from the relatively seamless experience we take for granted today. In fact, the past barely seems like the same planet as some of the latest developments in internet delivery. But how does broadband actually work and why are we moving away from ADSL broadband and toward fibre optic? Di ..read more

By Owen Gough on Small Business UK - Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs HR software makes managing people simple by streamlining admins tasks such as requesting and approving holiday. This allows you or any HR staff within your business to spend less time wading through spreadsheets. People are the most important part of any business, so this can be a vital tool for any organisation. In this guide we’ll explore the main benefits of using HR software, and why it might be right for your small business. See also: HR for start-ups – how to get it right Read on or skip to a relevant ..read more

By Ben Lobel on Small Business UK - Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs One of the biggest challenges faced by small business owners is the creation and implementation of their marketing strategies. They know they need a marketing plan, but where will they find the resources to create that plan? There are marketing methods available to you that will cost you little or no capital and will net some pretty impressive results in less time than you might think. Being visible online Sammy Blindell, founder of branding consultancy How to Build a Brand, started her own marketing tactics ..read more

By Nathaniel Dalby on Small Business UK - Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs The UK General Election is over, but what’s next for small business owners? We take a deep-dive into Labour’s plans. The dust has settled, and General Election 2024 is over, with Labour emerging as the winner. As the first Labour government since 2010, Kier Starmer and his MPs will have plenty of ideas about how they can affect change across the UK’s most important areas for small business owners. Entrepreneurs up and down the UK will today be wondering how the new government will aid them going forwar ..read more

By Ralph Hearn on Small Business UK - Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs Personal and corporate taxation can be a minefield for small business owners. The UK’s tax system is already one of the most complex in the world. This, coupled with often annual regulation changes, adds another layer of intricacy for business owners, especially when they have so many other things to do than worrying about tax planning. But not understanding these tax changes means you could very easily end up paying more than they need to. Planning is the key to ensuring your business’ tax affairs are as ..read more

By Anna Jordan on Small Business UK - Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs Ciaran Duffy is a former light middleweight boxing champion who has set up Duffy Boxing, a boxing gym for all abilities based in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, East London. Duffy Boxing is backed by our very own CEO: Stubben Edge founder, Chris Kenning. It’s our mission to help people start and run their businesses better. Now, we’re getting to live that experience through a connection with a brand new business. This three-part series has been created to shine a light on what it a ..read more

By Anna Jordan on Small Business UK - Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs Upskilling has become a buzzy term this decade as employers and staff scramble to adapt to changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, the rise of AI and the cost of doing business crisis. In fact, the World Economic Forum has dubbed the 2020s as ‘the decade for upskilling’. According to its Future of Jobs Report 2023, employers believe that six in 10 staff members will need training before 2027. Learning in and of itself is futureproofing, so it’s worth investing in yourself (not to mention your staff) t ..read more

By Partner Content on Small Business UK - Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs Effective currency management is essential for UK small business owners dealing with international transactions. Here are some practical tips to help you budget your currency needs efficiently in 2024. 1. Set a realistic exchange rate Setting a realistic exchange rate is crucial for accurate budgeting. Many businesses make the mistake of using overly optimistic rates, leading to financial shortfalls. Here’s how to set a realistic rate: Look at historical data: Consider the average movement range of th ..read more