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.

Sole trader

Should I choose sole trader or limited company?

Rebecca Durrant discusses the factors to consider when weighing up sole trader or limited company for your business structure.

Business management

The companies that are evolving to meet their customers’ goals

Conrad Thompson, head of business design at PA Consulting Group, discusses today's necessity for businesses to actively make themselves part of their customers’ world.

Employing & managing staff

Are unpaid internships really akin to modern-day slavery?

How are small businesses impacted by the legal requirement to pay interns after four weeks' unpaid work? Here, one business owner gives his thoughts.

Business Technology

How e-commerce businesses can maximise AI this Black Friday

Here, David Duke, chief operations officer at Visualsoft, explores the key areas in which AI tech is transforming the field of e-commerce for small businesses.

Business Technology

Security, safety and BYOD: The changing face of business communications

How is business communication changing, and how can company owners prepare? In this piece, Alex Tebbs, founder of VIA, finds out.

Accounting

Calling in your debts and chasing late payments

Whether you’re established or have recently set up a company, cash flow can often be a finely-tuned part of the business, as we discover here.

Legal advice

Pre-action Protocol: What small businesses need to know

Here, Peter Gardner of Spratt Endicott Solicitors discusses Pre-Action Protocol, or PAP, which sets out specific rules that should be followed if you intend to take customers to court for an unpaid debt.

Legal advice

A guide to employee share schemes for small businesses

Here, Alex Boothman of MyLegalAdviser looks at how you can offer your employees an opportunity they can’t get at a big corporate.

Finding and selling to customers

Live agent provision: How effective is it for customer service?

Here, Chris Robinson, CEO at Yonder Digital Group, explores why small businesses aren't maximising live support to help their customers .

Business management

Lessons learnt from the Ryanair flights crisis

Here, Jennifer Janson looks at the recent Ryanair flight cancellation episode, and discusses what small businesses can learn from the crisis.

Startup Funding and Grants

Top tips on how to boost your finances

Here's how we can all make an effort to boost our finances.