About

Ben Lobel was the editor of SmallBusiness.co.uk from 2010 to 2018. He specialises in writing for start-up and scale-up companies in the areas of finance, marketing and HR.

News

Financial hurdles hit female business owners 

Cash flow, time management, and staffing issues are the main difficulties faced by female business owners, research reveals.

Business Technology

The Magento online store development process

Here, we consider important recommendations on how to develop an online store on the open source platform.

News

Universities urged to work closer with small businesses

Small businesses and universities must engage at a deeper level and collaborate in more innovative ways if the relationship is to yield greater benefits for both groups and the local economies in which they are rooted, says the Federation of Small Businesses.

Marketing

How to improve your SEO efforts through blogging

Here, we look at three ways of enhancing SEO and online visibility for your business via a blog.

News

Small business EIS investment increases year on year 

The number of investments made into UK small businesses through the tax efficient EIS scheme rose by 11 per cent from 122,320 in 2013/14 to a record 135,445 in 2014/15.

Alternative finance

Why small business lending alternatives are the next big thing 

Here are a few of the biggest drivers behind the slowdown in small business lending and the rise of small business lending alternatives.

News

Business owners refuse to be swayed on Brexit decision

Business owners aren’t interested in which politicians or personalities come out in support of the remain or leave sides, according to a study.

Work life balance

Company owners hit by admin overload

Admin overload is leaving business decision makers feeling overwhelmed and stressed, finds research.

Business Ideas & Planning

25 areas to look at when launching your own business 

Here we look at 25 of the key factors to consider before taking the plunge.

Accounting

How small businesses should deal with a HMRC investigation 

In this piece, in association with the Federation of Small Businesses, accountancy experts discuss how your small company should prepare for a tax enquiry.

News

British women yearn to start their own business

Flexibility, being your own boss, or turning a hobby into a business are just a few reasons why British women dream of leaving their jobs to become self-employed, a study finds.

News

Working environment having a negative effect on employee mental health 

More than a third of UK employees say their working environment is having a negative effect on their mental state of mind, and one in two feel that their workplace ‘does not manage mental health issues well’.