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.
If you find yourself in the unfortunate circumstance of having to discipline a member of staff, you have to ensure the process is fair, especially if the result is that they are dismissed.
Employing & managing staff
Business Technology
The outcry over identity theft on social networking sites like FaceBook and MySpace serves as a reminder of how the openness of the internet can mean rich pickings for fraudsters. Educating your staff about the dangers is key to protecting your business.
Business management
If you are taking on a new contract or have an ambitious plan for growth, it might be handy to learn from project managers.
Business Technology
Are you aware that your old PCs could be breaking the law? The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive finally became UK law in 2007.
Employing & managing staff
A recent survey has found that poor teamwork causes owners of small firms in Britain to stay late in the office, wastes valuable time and adds to employee dissatisfaction. But all this could be avoided by encouraging employees to work more effectively as a team.
Employing & managing staff
No two businesses are the same. Having worked with more than 40,000 companies and millions of employees over the past 60 years, BUPA knows this better than any other healthcare provider, which is why we do things differently.
Employing & managing staff
If an employee doesn't return to work and doesn't contact the employer with an explanation, is there a set procedure that the employer should follow before assuming they are no longer wishing to return to work?
Legal advice
If I have made someone redundant, can I hire someone else and give them a different job title?
Employing & managing staff
If an employee doesn't return to work and doesn't contact the employer with an explanation, is there a set procedure that the employer should follow before assuming they are no longer wishing to return to work?
Legal advice
If I have made someone redundant, can I hire someone else and give them a different job title?
Business management
Chris Mottershead is a travel industry veteran. He was president and CEO of North American leisure group Airtours before changing course to steer online travel specialist Travelzest through a turbulent period for the sector to land record profits.
Finding and selling to customers
Writing clear marketing text or 'copy' helps to attract more customers, so it's worth honing your skills in this area. This article from SmallBusiness.co.uk and Nigel Temple, author of How to Get Clients to Come to You, will help.
Legal advice
Q: Do I need any health & safety qualifications and food hygiene certificates before I can open a sandwich shop?
Marketing
What can you do to ensure your website is reaching your target audience and isn't lost among millions of others? This introduction to search engine marketing from Smallbusiness.co.uk and Seamus Ryan of Optimease will point you in the right direction.
Business Loans
Everything you need to know on what small business loans are and what types of loan are available for your business.
Partner content
Hospitality businesses have faced a number of challenges in the last couple of years. Find out what funding and support is available.
Employing & managing staff
In Aviva’s latest SME research*, 57 per cent of employers surveyed agreed that nowadays employees expect benefits to protect against loss of income or earnings. What do you offer your people?
Partner content
Business broadband offers a host of advantages over standard domestic connections, here’s why you should be considering an upgrade