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

Three quarters of SMEs have no contact with bank relationship manager

The relationship between retail banks and their SME customers is weakening, research finds.

News

Business continuity plans not a priority for small businesses

Just 27 per cent of small businesses have a business continuity plan (BCP) in place, compared to 68 per cent of medium-sized organisations and 75 per cent of large companies, finds research.

News

Economic growth threatened by drop in business confidence

UK economic growth is expected to continue throughout 2015, but a sharp drop in business confidence suggests that the current momentum is under threat, according to a study.

News

UK consumers happier to shop with smaller operators than large brands

Over 80 per cent of British consumers report feelings of happiness and contentment when they purchase goods or services from small and independent businesses, compared to just 53 per cent who buy from large chains, research finds.

News

Business owners confident about the future of their company

Owner-managers are more optimistic than they were 12 months ago, research finds.

Small Business Banking

SMEs: Bank loans are far too expensive

It seems that UK business owners find it too expensive to borrow cash from their bank. Why aren't the banks adjusting to online competition?

News

Small companies lax on fire safety training

More than a third of SME workers report not receiving the necessary fire safety training from employers.

News

Small business owners show support for increased childcare

More than half of small business operators are in favour of bringing forward plans to increase free childcare from 15 to 30 hours a week.

News

SMEs look forward to growth over next five years

UK small and medium-sized businesses are predicting an average increase in turnover of 37 per cent over the next five years, research finds.

News

Small business owners ready to fight for their company

More than two thirds of small business owners around the world have dived into personal savings or re-mortgaged their homes to make a success of their company, research finds.

News

Innovation the order of the day as small businesses get creative

Small companies are turning to new products and services as well as exports to accelerate expansion, research finds.

News

Self-employed cite independence as key reason for going it alone

The search for challenge, creativity, success and satisfaction are among the greatest drivers for self-employed people, research finds.