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.

Advice

The rise of live sports broadcasts in the UK

This article traces the ways in which the boom in live sports broadcasts in Britain is affecting the economy.

Business Ideas & Planning

How one student turned her babysitting and tutoring platform into reality

South London student Ibiere Banigo discusses the lengths she went to to start and grow her online babysitting platform.

Finding and selling to customers

Why one in three customers do not buy your complete range

Would-be customers are unaware of most of your product range, says Royston Guest. Here, he discusses how to put that right.

Legal advice

The test of control at the heart of the Uber judgment

Sarah King examines the Uber tribunal ruling in further detail and centres on the importance of the long-established test of control.

Finding and selling to customers

Seven tips to help your small business outsmart the competition

Here, we look at some of the ways your business can stay agile and keep ahead of competitors in the new year.

Marketing

How an underwear company discovered its market’s needs

In this piece, Dr. Mark Davey discusses how key research among friends and family influenced an about-turn for the positioning of his underwear company.

Employing & managing staff

Why on-the-job training is key to meeting client needs

In this piece, David Farquharson looks at the law sector as an example of how more junior staff should learn key skills earlier.

Buying and selling a company

Why ‘info-commerce’ may be the saviour of the high street

Forget the buzz around e-commerce. The future of retail is all about ‘info-commerce’ – and that’s great news for bricks and mortar stores, argues Stefano Portu.

Business Loans

Unsecured loans for small businesses

In this piece, Conrad Ford takes a look at some of the ways small business owners can get hold of unsecured loans.

Business management

To win in 2017, UK businesses must prepare for uncertainty

Here, Alex Edwards gives his thoughts on how businesses should prepare for uncertainty in 2017.

Office & home working

Hot-desking: The benefits for a small business

In this piece, in association with Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), we look at the value of hot-desking, the practice that affords workers more freedom over where they carry out their work.