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.

Small Business Insurance

Key insurance advice for your photography company

Here, photographer Laura Pearman talks about how a significant insurance claim she made for loss of data underlines the importance of small businesses ensuring comprehensive cover.

Business management

Healing the relationship between businesses and freelancers

George Olver, co-founder of Movidiam, explores why poor practices regarding freelancers could be stifling the global creative industry.

Marketing

Affiliate campaigns: How can you measure their success?

Here, Eilidh Whyte, senior account manager at affilinet UK, discusses the measurements key to qualifying success in affiliate campaigns.

Alternative finance

Why a merchant cash advance offers an exciting funding solution for small businesses

Here's why a merchant cash advance could offer a quick and easy short-term, unsecured funding solution for your small business.

Startup Funding and Grants

Be flexible with funding if you want to see your business boom

Flexibility with funding sources is the key to securing long-term success in business, says Louis-James Davis, founder of VST Enterprises.

Blog

How the over-50s are leading the small business charge

Over-50s are contributing more to the UK economy than under-50s, research shows. Robert Gordon, CEO of Hitachi Capital UK, explores the evidence.

Business management

Why it pays to be prepared when disaster strikes

Jo Gibson, operations director at First Capital Cashflow, explains why it’s vital for small businesses to have a contingency plan in place for unexpected events.

Tax

Six reasons to tackle your self-assessment tax return early

Emily Coltman, chief accountant at FreeAgent, explores why it may be beneficial to take on the self-assessment tax return early.

Office & home working

A day in the life of a flexible working IT manager

In this piece, we take a look at the average day of Chris Martin, CTO of Powwownow, for inspiration on how to maximise remote working.

Business Technology

How to minimise GDPR impact when you can’t afford compliance staff

In this piece, Gavin Scruby, CIO of SmartDebit asks: how can you adjust your business to minimise the impact and fallout of GDPR regulation?

Employing & managing staff

How to deal with tricky conversations at work

Karen Meager and John McLachlan, co-founders of Monkey Puzzle Training, discuss how to set the right tone when broaching sensitive issues with staff.

Accounting

Why quick action is key for small business cash flow management

Martin Atkins, partner and head of business services at Menzies LLP, discusses the finer points of cash flow management as a small business.