Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
This section takes you through every important aspect of how to run a successful business. It offers expert guides and advice articles on the key elements of business management such as employing staff, finding customers, marketing and sales, pricing, people management, office and home working, business technology and everything else an entrepreneur must tackle in order to succeed.
Putting in place a brand strategy is key to ensuring the success of your company and a genuine, solid identity has a direct impact on your bottom line. Small business owners tend to relate a strong brand and marketing strategy to high cost, but this need not be the case. Read on for our top tips.
Marketing
Employing & managing staff
If a position of employment becomes available, does it have to be advertised or offered internally first?
Employing & managing staff
I run a bar and employ four part-time staff. Two of them have full-time jobs. Do I need to issue them with a contract of employment and how does holiday pay work in this instance?
Marketing
Direct mail can be a very cost-effective way for small businesses to reach new customers and to build stronger relationships with existing clients. It can be used to drum up new business and strengthen existing relationships.
Employing & managing staff
An employee's brother has unfortunately died. What are the rules for time off paid or unpaid?
Buying and selling a company
I started my business in partnership 15 years ago. Can you advise me on selling my half of the business, I understand my partner has first refusal.
Business management
SmallBusiness.co.uk asks an inspirational entrepreneur to share their experiences and offer advice for SMEs. With the benefit of hindsight, what do they wish they'd known when they started? This week it's Mark Chadwick, founder and director of carbon emissions management company Carbon Clear.
Business Technology
Setting up an online arm of your business can offer many benefits, not to mention a further route to market.
Business management
SmallBusiness.co.uk asks an inspirational entrepreneur to share their experiences and offer advice for SMEs. With the benefit of hindsight, what do they wish they'd known when they started? This week it's Mark Chadwick, founder and director of carbon emissions management company Carbon Clear.
Business Technology
Setting up an online arm of your business can offer many benefits, not to mention a further route to market.
Employing & managing staff
One of my staff regularly smells of urine. Despite sympathetically asking her on many occasions to address the problem she has failed to do so. What is the position regarding her employment? If I have to, can I ask her to leave?
Business Technology
I am starting a business and hope to have customers all over the United Kingdom and Ireland. I need to know how to set up the acceptance of credit cards for over-the-phone payments. Can you help?
Employing & managing staff
I'm just about to launch a domestic cleaning and laundry business and plan to recruit up to 20 people over the next 2 - 3 years. Am I obliged to offer some sort of access to a pension scheme, either now or in line with my predicted growth of employee numbers? There seems to be lots of advice out there but much of it is conflicting.
Employing & managing staff
The usual definition of induction is a formal introduction of a new employee to a job. However, Peter Done, managing director of Peninsula and SmallBusiness.co.uk, our Q&A panel expert, feels that induction and training should not only happen at the start of employment, but ‘should be ongoing in order to provide solutions to problems as the job duties change’.
Partner content
HSBC - Advertising feature
Business Technology
Here's how Security Service Edge from Vodafone can help to protect your SME from ever-increasing cyber threats