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

Budget 2017: Hammond punishes self-employed with hike to national insurance

Chancellor Philip Hammond has announced in the 2017 Budget that the self-employed will suffer the pain of a National Insurance increase.

News

International Women’s Day: JK Rowling most admired British businesswoman

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has topped the list of most admired British women in business, with more than a third of respondents (35.6 per cent) saying they admire her most.

Small Business Insurance

Mind the gap: What you need to know about liability insurance

In this piece, Ashley Singer discusses the insurance gap and what small businesses need to be aware of.

Government Grants

How a grant was influential in marketing a new skincare product

Here Terence Chung discusses how he achieved a grant from the Shell LiveWIRE programme for his cosmetics start-up FRUU.

Business Technology

Is AI capable of being a moral compass? Facebook’s anti-terror AI dreams are fantasy

Facebook has a responsibility to find a way to prevent and protect users from dangerous content, but do ideas for the use of ‘superhuman’ AI offer a realistic solution?

Marketing

A step-by-step guide to starting a WordPress blog

This comprehensive guide will help you create a WordPress blog without any technical expertise.

Advice

Why is Hull such a good city for start-ups?

Here, we look at why Hull has acquired a favourable reputation as a hub for new companies.

Marketing

Seven content types that will optimise your conversion rate

These content types are all things you've seen before, but have you ever thought about how you could leverage them for your own marketing campaigns?

Business management

The conscious guide to stress in the workplace

Neil Seligman discusses stress in the workplace and how to react to it.

Advice

Top five business books that every entrepreneur should read

In time for World Book Day, five entrepreneurs reveal their most influential and inspiring reads.

Business Technology

Why technology should be every business owner’s best friend

Here, Tim Campbell, the first Apprentice winner, offers his tips on how technology and a bit of self-discipline can help you reduce stress, take back control, and grow your business.

Business Technology

What is digital transformation and what does it mean for SMEs?

What does the term 'digital transformation' mean and why should SMEs be getting on board? Here, Matt Hunt takes a look.