Simply Business Features

by Rosie Beasley 1. Identify unsatisfied customers before they leave Many companies don’t do anything about defecting customers until they announce their intention to leave. This leaves them with a reactive situation where they are forced to take drastic measures...

by Rosie Beasley The UK is heading for a recession according to many economic experts and small businesses may be worried about what the future holds. Recent research from BDO Stoy Hayward has revealed that, over the course of 2009,...

by Rosie Beasley God supposedly built the world in seven days, so why not do the same with a business? Of course we know that the timescale is a bit unrealistic, but it would be fun to see if it...

by Adfero People the world over love heroes and aspiring entrepreneurs are no exception. There is nothing more inspiring than the tale of someone who has come from a humble background rising to the top of their game and making...

Most of us remember sitting in school wondering why we were learning certain subjects that just didn’t seem relevant to the real world. Yet as adults we often regret not making more of an effort. So here are our top...

By Adfero The world of business may often appear to be very much a man's domain, yet there are countless examples of successful businesswomen out there. It is simply often the case that they aren't quite as visible as their...

By Adfero Launched in the UK in 2005, the Apprentice is a reality television programme where candidates compete to become the apprentice of businessman Sir Alan Sugar. But while the average viewer may delight in the competitive and often ridiculous...

by Adfero A good accountant is essential to running a successful business. They will be by your side during the good times and the bad; advising you, supporting you, reminding you and saving you from yourself. Of course you pay...

While most small businesses take out insurance to cover them against losing assets and property, few realise that the asset that would have the most detrimental impact on the business if lost or destroyed is their digital data. Small business...

by Rosie Beasley Most of us have dreamt about leaving the boss behind and starting our own business, but for women only a few make it a reality. Are they wasting a golden opportunity? The answer is yes according to...

by Rosie Beasley For a small business to grow and thrive it needs to have a strong base to build from. This base is created first with the development of a comprehensive business plan, and then with good finances and...

by Rosie Beasley Small businesses have tight budgets and the marketing section of the business plan often gets shelved due to a lack of business finance. However the internet offers the business owner a fast and cheap way to connect...

by Rosie Beasley “Today I also want to do more to support Small and Medium Enterprises now and in the longer term. 13 million people work in Small and Medium Enterprises. And there are over 750,000 more firms than in...

By Helen Castell Climbing out of your comfort zone is always a big step, but the rewards of setting up as self-employed persuade thousands every year to go it alone. Autonomy, hours to suit and the chance to steer your...

By Gee Sahota The steep rise in petrol prices over the last few months is yet another blow to many small businesses that have already been blighted by the dip in the economy following the recent credit crunch, and a...

By Karen Baldwin Most small business owners are well aware of the dangers of standing still; of not expanding their product or service offering; neglecting to develop further skills and expertise; or of failing to fine-tune systems and processes to...

By Karen Baldwin Without even knowing anything about your business, it would be pretty safe to predict that one of the biggest challenges you face is how to attract and retain the best staff. Why? Because it is the same...

By Karen Baldwin There are few people more motivated than the small business owner in the early stages of establishing their own business. The buzz of doing your own thing, the opportunity to build up an asset and the idea...

by Rosie Beasley In the current climate of economic instability, some small business owners may be looking towards the Budget release on 12th March for a ray of light. Others, however, are already looking at how to best prepare their...

by Rosie Beasley According to a report by accountancy firm BDO Stoy Hayward, more businesses will fail in 2008 than in the previous 5 years, with small businesses and start-ups making up the majority. Their predicted number of business failures...

by Karen Baldwin It doesn’t seem very long ago that when we referred to carbon in the workplace we were talking about the sheet of paper we used to make multiple copies of a document. Similarly, greenhouses were simply places...

by Karen Baldwin Most small business owners will have used the Christmas / New Year holiday period to recharge the batteries after a hectic year, spend some much valued time with family and friends, and perhaps enjoy some time away...

1. Update your business plan When you were just a start-up, your business plan would have been your most important source of guidance, both financial and otherwise. But have you even looked at it since your first year? Most businesses...

by Rosie Beasley The season of goodwill was bound to bring out the Dragons’ generosity, even if only for a humanitarian cause. All five Dragons ended up investing equally in ROSS – the wheelie water filter designed for the parts...

by Rosie Beasley In the Dragons' Den, certain aspects of a contestant's pitch stand out as being more important to the Dragons than others. So important, in fact, that any business lacking these things is likely to find itself out...

By Rosie Beasley for Simply Business Television shows such as Dragon’s Den and The Apprentice have given lots of wannabe entrepreneurs in Britain the motivation they needed to make their dream business a reality. In the last few years...

by Karen Baldwin for Simply Business Despite the increasingly commercial times that we live in, the spirit of Christmas still should be about the importance of sharing and this is just as true in business as it is in life....

By Rosie Beasley In between the hammy comments from the Dragons and the stuttering presentations from the contestants, the Dragons’ Den does occasionally throw up some serious issues that face all small businesses in the early stages of their existence....

Dragons’ Den is in no small part about personality. Contestants in the Den have to face off against the force of the Dragons’ personalities and more often than not they come off worse. When a weak pitch is compounded by...

by Rosie Beasley for Simply Business I’ve never lost any personal belongings while sailing, probably because I’ve never been, but once I did drop my door key through a gap in the floorboards of my local pier, to be lost...

by Rosie Beasley for Simply Business Dragon’s Den Pop Quiz: Which actor starred as “the only believable pirate” in Pirates of the Caribbean, and in the film version of Phantom of the Opera? Although it seems as though there is...

by Rosie Beasley for Simply Business Considering that we’re now in the fifth series of Dragon’s Den it would be reasonable to assume that this new batch of entrepreneurs would be pitching their business ideas to the Dragons having learned...

by Karen Baldwin Halloween is probably one of; if not the busiest time of the year for certain businesses, particularly fancy dress shops, party goods suppliers, event organisers, pubs and clubs, and DJs. One of the oldest celebrations in the...

by Rosie Beasley for Simply Business If your start-up business is doing well, but you don’t have enough time in your day to take on more work, the next step towards continued growth is hiring more staff in key business...

by Karen Baldwin for Simply Business Women in the 21st century have a wide choice when it comes to employment options and don’t face the level of discrimination experienced in previous decades. No longer pigeonholed into particular roles and industries...

Here's how to put the wind back in your sales ... A bit of down time in the form of a few weeks holiday is essential for everyone – no matter whether a small business owner or an employee or...

Climate change is an increasingly topical issue. In the years to come, legislation to enforce low energy consumption, taxes on emissions and incentives to adopt sustainable initiatives are likely to become commonplace. By staying ahead of the game and becoming...

Starting your own business has become all the rage, with many people determined to escape the constraints of regular office life and become their own boss. TV shows such as the BBC's The Apprentice and Dragons' Den have also undoubtedly...

Setting up your own business might seem like a distant and daunting prospect, but new research from everywoman and NatWest paints a very positive picture. The companies have found that almost all female entrepreneurs (94 per cent) believe that their...

We look at five of the best ways to raise start-up cash for your business.

Starting a new business, especially when you're full of enthusiasm and have managed to secure the all-important finance, might seem like a breeze. You've got the money, you've got the great business idea, so what could possibly go wrong? The...

Every industry has its share of 'big players' who tend to take the overwhelming share of the market and overshadow their smaller competitors. Take the main supermarkets, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons, for example, who are despised by rural traders...

British insurer Liverpool Victoria predicts that female entrepreneurs will control six-tenths of UK wealth within the next two decades. At present, just 15 per cent of British firms are majority-owned by businesswomen, but research hints that this proportion is about...

A new survey suggests that small businesses need to review their mobile phone plans to ensure they are getting the best deal.

A business starts with an idea. And that idea must be watertight before investing precious time and money into attempting to make it a money-making reality.