Tag Archive for Questions & Answers

Hot Business News Today

Liz Barclay answers your questions about late payment

by  •  • 0 Comments

By Small Business Team on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

Join Small Business Commissioner Liz Barclay for our next Twitter Q&A this Thursday, September 9 between 4pm and 5pm GMT. Liz will answer your questions about poor payment practices affecting your business.

Former campaigning journalist and BBC broadcaster Liz Barclay a long history of campaigning for social justice when it comes to consumer rights and personal finance.

What can I do to speed up invoices being paid?What if it’s a large company who’s my sole customer?What steps can I take without going to court?How can the Small Business Commissioner help me and my firm?

Late payment putting British SMEs out of business

The Federation of Small Businesses estimates that 50,000 SMEs are forced out of business each year because of late paymentSmall business are currently chasing more than £50bn of late paymentsThe average UK SME is chasing five outstanding invoices at any one time, using up an astonishing 1.5 hours a day, with an average of £8,500 owedThe Government’s own figures are that £23.4bn is owed in outstanding invoices to UK businesses

To join in, just follow @smallbusinessuk and get involved by tweeting your question with the hashtag #AskSBCommissioner.

Remember,

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

Liz Barclay answers your questions about late payment

by  •  • 0 Comments

By Small Business Team on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

Join Small Business Commissioner Liz Barclay for our next Twitter Q&A this Thursday, September 9 between 4pm and 5pm GMT. Liz will answer your questions about poor payment practices affecting your business.

Former campaigning journalist and BBC broadcaster Liz Barclay a long history of campaigning for social justice when it comes to consumer rights and personal finance.

What can I do to speed up invoices being paid?What if it’s a large company who’s my sole customer?What steps can I take without going to court?How can the Small Business Commissioner help me and my firm?

Late payment putting British SMEs out of business

The Federation of Small Businesses estimates that 50,000 SMEs are forced out of business each year because of late paymentSmall business are currently chasing more than £50bn of late paymentsThe average UK SME is chasing five outstanding invoices at any one time, using up an astonishing 1.5 hours a day, with an average of £8,500 owedThe Government’s own figures are that £23.4bn is owed in outstanding invoices to UK businesses

To join in, just follow @smallbusinessuk and get involved by tweeting your question with the hashtag #AskSBCommissioner.

Remember,

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

Tweet your questions to FSB policy boss Craig Beaumont

by  •  • 0 Comments

By Small Business Team on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
On 8 July SmallBusiness.co.uk will be hosting a special one-off Twitter Q&A with Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) policy boss Craig Beaumont at 4:30pm.
Craig is chief of external affairs at the FSB, which means he has the ear of politicians when it comes to them making policy decisions affecting our businesses.
To join in, just follow @smallbusinessuk and tweet your questions to Craig now using the hashtag #AskFSB.
Remember, you can only tweet your questions to Craig through the @smallbusinessuk Twitter feed.
Craig will answer any questions about running your small business, particularly where government support measures for those that should be allowed to fully reopen on 19 July in England are concerned.

Bounce Back Loans
The looming review of business rates
The lack of income support for directors
Brexit
What HMRC is doing and what Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak can and should be doing to get Covid-ravaged small businesses back on their feet

Craig Beaumont knows better than anyone what our politicians might be persuaded to do to help small business, so send him your questions now using #AskFSB.
The post Tweet your questions to FSB policy boss Craig Beaumont appeared first

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

#AskFSB: tweet your questions to FSB policy boss Craig Beaumont

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Small Business Team on Small Business
On 8 July SmallBusiness.co.uk will be hosting a special one-off Twitter Q&A with Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) policy boss Craig Beaumont. You can post questions anytime using the hashtag #AskFSB. Craig will then respond to your questions from 4:30pm on 8 July.
Craig is chief of external affairs at the FSB, which means he has the ear of politicians when it comes to them making policy decisions affecting our businesses.
To join in, just follow @smallbusinessuk and tweet your questions to Craig now using the hashtag #AskFSB.
Remember, you can only tweet your questions to Craig through the @smallbusinessuk Twitter feed.
Craig will answer any questions about running your small business, particularly where government support measures for those that should be allowed to fully reopen on 19 July in England are concerned.

Bounce Back Loans
The looming review of business rates
The lack of income support for directors
Brexit
What HMRC is doing and what Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak can and should be doing to get Covid-ravaged small businesses back on their feet

Craig Beaumont knows better than anyone what our politicians might be persuaded to do to help small business, so send him your questions now using #AskFSB.
 
#AskFSB: tweet your questions

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

#AskFSB: tweet your questions to FSB policy boss Craig Beaumont

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Small Business Team on Small Business
On 8 July SmallBusiness.co.uk will be hosting a special one-off Twitter Q&A with Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) policy boss Craig Beaumont at 4:30pm.
Craig is chief of external affairs at the FSB, which means he has the ear of politicians when it comes to them making policy decisions affecting our businesses.
To join in, just follow @smallbusinessuk and tweet your questions to Craig now using the hashtag #AskFSB.
Remember, you can only tweet your questions to Craig through the @smallbusinessuk Twitter feed.
Craig will answer any questions about running your small business, particularly where government support measures for those that should be allowed to fully reopen on 19 July in England are concerned.

Bounce Back Loans
The looming review of business rates
The lack of income support for directors
Brexit
What HMRC is doing and what Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak can and should be doing to get Covid-ravaged small businesses back on their feet

Craig Beaumont knows better than anyone what our politicians might be persuaded to do to help small business, so send him your questions now using #AskFSB.
 
#AskFSB: tweet your questions to FSB policy boss Craig Beaumont

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

#AskFSB: tweet your questions to FSB policy boss Craig Beaumont

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Small Business Team on Small Business
On 8 July SmallBusiness.co.uk will be hosting a special one-off Twitter Q&A with Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) policy boss Craig Beaumont.
Craig is chief of external affairs at the FSB, which means he has the ear of politicians when it comes to them making policy decisions affecting our businesses.
To join in, just follow @smallbusinessuk and tweet your questions to Craig now using the hashtag #AskFSB.
Remember, you can only tweet your questions to Craig through the @smallbusinessuk Twitter feed.
Craig will answer any questions about running your small business, particularly where government support measures for those that should be allowed to fully reopen on 19 July in England are concerned.

Bounce Back Loans
The looming review of business rates
The lack of income support for directors
Brexit
What HMRC is doing and what Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak can and should be doing to get Covid-ravaged small businesses back on their feet

Craig Beaumont knows better than anyone what our politicians might be persuaded to do to help small business, so send him your questions now using #AskFSB.
 
#AskFSB: tweet your questions to FSB policy boss Craig Beaumont

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

#AskFSB: tweet your questions to FSB policy boss Craig Beaumont

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Small Business Team on Small Business
On 8 July SmallBusiness.co.uk will be hosting a special one-off Twitter Q&A with Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) policy boss Craig Beaumont.
Craig is chief of external affairs at the FSB, which means he has the ear of politicians when it comes to them making policy decisions affecting our businesses.
To join in, just follow @smallbusinessuk and tweet your questions to Craig now using the hashtag #AskFSB.
Remember, you can only tweet your questions to Craig through the @smallbusinessuk Twitter feed.
Craig will answer any questions about running your small business, particularly where government support measures for those that should be allowed to fully reopen on 19 July in England are concerned.

Bounce Back Loans
The looming review of business rates
The lack of income support for directors
Brexit
What HMRC is doing and what Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak can and should be doing to get Covid-ravaged small businesses back on their feet

Craig Beaumont knows better than anyone what our politicians might be persuaded to do to help small business, so send him your questions now using #AskFSB.
 
#AskFSB: tweet your questions to FSB policy boss Craig Beaumont

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

How do I apply for a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan?

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
How do I apply for a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan?
UPDATED: Today (July 30), the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme has been relaxed to make more SMEs eligible for emergency funding.
Until now, an SME that was classed as an ‘undertaking in difficulty’ was barred from getting access to the loan unless the business was less than three years old. They’d be an undertaking in difficulty if, by deducting accumulated losses from its reserves, it was left with a negative amount greater than half of its subscribed share capital, as of December 2019.
This changes mean that SMEs with fewer than 50 employees and a turnover of less than £9m will not be classed as an undertaking in difficulty, unless they’re subject to insolvency proceedings or receiving certain types of aid. It’s expected to help small businesses that have previously secured private equity and venture capital funding.
Allie Renison, head of Europe and trade policy at the Institute of Directors, said:
“This is a welcome move towards helping more British businesses access much-needed finance. The UID test has caused a lot of frustration, and the IoD has been knocking hard on the door of both government and Brussels

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

How to ask for a commercial rent freeze from your landlord

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Simon Maddox on Small Business
The coronavirus pandemic is completely unprecedented and brings with it unique and far-reaching issues for both commercial tenants and landlords to navigate. Many small business owners have already written to landlords asking for a commercial rent freeze while the pandemic goes on.
Can I go on a rent strike?
Many businesses will want to know what their rights are in a situation where they are prevented from opening business due to an “act of God” or force majeure. Can they unilaterally freeze rent payments where they are shut down, whether through enforced staff absence or official decree, as we have seen this week across the leisure and hospitality industry?
>See also: Government launches business Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
What if the government forces my small business to close?
As a starting point, in the absence of specific contractual provisions, there is no common law right to include a deemed “force majeure” provision in the lease document. Commercial leases often contain rent suspension provisions for damage to property arising out of certain specified risks, but those rent suspension provisions do not normally extend to cover enforced closure of retail or other units pursuant to statutory powers.
Therefore, in the absence

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

Scottish government launches small business coronavirus helpline

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
The Scottish government has launched a helpline for small businesses coping with the unfolding coronavirus pandemic.
The COVID-19 helpline is open Monday to Friday, between 8:30am and 5:30pm.
Based at the existing Scottish Enterprise call centre in Clydebank, advisers across Scotland will answer questions from small businesses related to COVID-19. The helpline will also help the Scottish government identify the current challenges facing business over coronavirus.
>See also: Coronavirus government statutory sick pay – how to apply for it
The business helpline number is 0300 303 0660. The helpline will be open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm.
Callers should select option one to speak to the COVID-19 team.
However, the Scottish government has yet to respond to chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement in the Budget that nearly half of all small businesses in England will be exempted from business rates in 2020-21. This is because business rates have been devolved to governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Scottish economy secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “We continue to work closely with our partners to identify what further support businesses need … I also chaired a meeting with representatives from Scotland’s business support organisations including the STUC to hear their concerns and

Read more...