Author: Sophie Medd, Heart of the City. Heart of the City is a charity that supports SMEs to be a force for good. Through workshops, one-to-one support and expert mentoring, they can help you take your first steps towards making responsible business a meaningful part of your work. Starting a business is an exciting and challenging endeavour, and it’s important to approach it with a sense of responsibility to all stakeholders involved. This includes not only the people who will be working for and with the business, but also the communities and environments in which the business will operate. T ..read more

Originally published by the Cyber Resilience Centre for London here. Tuesday 7 February 2023 marks Safer Internet Day, an initiative celebrated around the globe focused on uniting web users in the hopes of a better internet for everyone. This year’s theme is “Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online”, which is mainly focused on helping young people navigate the internet safely, but internet safety is important to all of us, especially if you are running a business partially or completely digitally. We’re proud to be part of an initiative building a safer online ..read more

By: Clara Toombs, Marketing Consultant and Executive Coach Organising your email marketing in 2023 doesn’t have to be hard, you just need to create the right plan for your business. Email has the highest ROI of any marketing channel, and it continues to be the most popular way to reach customers. So how can small businesses use email marketing to their advantage in the next 12 months? Today, I’m going to walk you through some key areas of email marketing that will help you get organised for 2023 and ensure that you’re using it to its full potential. Here are my top tips: 1. Set clear and meas ..read more

Author: Brendan Hastie, Assistant Business Librarian/Researcher As we enter the new year, we at the Small Business Research and Enterprise Centre (SBREC) want to wish you a happy and healthy 2023! Emerging out of the shadow of the pandemic and a turbulent political year which saw three different Prime Ministers and the death of a widely respected monarch in Queen Elizabeth II, we are reminded of the determinable spirit of all those who call the United Kingdom home. After such a long year, the holiday season represented a great time for all of us to reflect on what we achieved in 2022, yet it ..read more

It’s difficult to start a business, and it’s even tougher to grow one. If you’re an ambitious midsized business looking to double your team and your turnover, you already know that what worked for you as a smaller business doesn’t work for you as you expand.  Growing your business might seem like an uphill battle, but it doesn’t have to be if you make smart choices. If you want your business to scale, then you have to think smarter and take action. Here are the 5 main reasons why investing in your brand is investing in your future. Branding is the foundation for your marketing Your brand ..read more

How much do you understand about your obligations when it comes to General Data Protection Regulations – GDPR? This article will aim to help you understand your responsibilities better with some extra knowledge provided to you by Karen Holden from A City Law Firm. The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) is the toughest privacy and security law in the world, imposing obligations on companies anywhere, who target, collect or process personal data pertaining to individuals living in the EU. The regulations apply equally to start-ups as to large multi-national companies. The Regulations gi ..read more

Starting a business comes with mixed emotions, excitement mixed with a feeling of being overwhelmed.  But there are a number of things that you can do to help with the stressful elements, and as the title suggests, the way forward it planning.  Not an exciting word in itself… but it will lead you to the exciting part! Why plan You’ll probably have heard the adage ‘fail to plan, plan to fail’, well, it’s a good one.  Business planning involves working out all aspects of your business, which helps prevent unpleasant surprises.  I always compare it to building a house.  I ..read more

We caught up with Natalie Stanton (Malupa) the founder of The Safety Expert. Natalie is a Chartered Environmental Health Officer and has over 10 years of experience in food safety and health and safety in both the public and private sectors.  The Safety Expert provides resources that can help your business with food safety requirements. These include blogs, posters and, kitchen record sheets. She also offers a video-based Level 2 Food Hygiene course that provides practical examples; an engaging way for staff working in a food business to learn the basics of food safety. Below is Natalie’s ..read more

Author: Hannah Khoo, Customer Relationship Manager at the Cyber Resilience Centre for London You cannot protect yourself from cyber-attacks if you do not know what you are protecting yourself from. So, let’s break down some of the dangers you can face and summarise how you can avoid them. Common forms of cyber-attacks Ransomware is malware that locks a device and filesystem from access and demands money for its release. Paying the ransom does not guarantee your data will return or that malware will be removed so consider alternative solutions. Seek professional advice and visit No More Ransom ..read more

Author: François Reynier François Reynier is the founder and creative director of Acacia, a specialist branding consultancy working with innovative independent businesses and well-known brands. Throughout a 25 year career, François has notably worked with Deutsche Bank in the UK, Mercedes-Benz in Germany and Smart Cars in Switzerland. Acacia has enabled numerous independent businesses to stand out from competitors and scale up faster. Read this blog from François to learn how to avoid common mistakes and boost your growth. Avoid these common marketing mistakes and rise above the com ..read more