By Dan Matthews on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
Few business owners would argue with the idea that the customer is always right and many successful modern businesses are built on their drive to satisfy customers. Leading Internet retailer Amazon is a great example of a successful company founded on a relentless focus on customer satisfaction. Their founder Jeff Bezos is well known for saying “We’re not competitor obsessed, we’re customer obsessed. We start with what the customer needs and we work backwards.”
Most businesses will immediately think about their product and services when it comes to keeping customers happy, making sure they have a great feedback system and deal speedily with customer requests, issues and complaints. However, customers these days are often more demanding than they were in the past and will look for more than just great prices and products from a company.
Consumers will often only want to buy from companies that have an explicit sense of purpose and align with their broader ideas about corporate responsibility and ethical behaviour. This could mean only buying fashion from companies that check their supply chains to make sure workers are fairly paid or only banking
Tag Archive for smart meter
Hot Business News Today
Smart meters for your small business – a hairdresser case study
by Nick Ismail • • 0 Comments
By Nick Ismail on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
Smart meters can lead to significant benefits for your small business.
We explore how using Amaryllis Hair Salon, Cardiff as a case study.
But, first it’s important to understand what is a smart meter.
What is a smart meter?
Smart meters are the next generation of gas and electricity meters currently being rolled out in homes and small businesses across Great Britain by energy suppliers.
Smart meters digitally measure how much energy you’re using and send your meter reading directly to your energy supplier at agreed intervals – putting an end to estimated bills.
How to get a smart meter for your business
You may be eligible for a smart meter if your business has the following:
fewer than 10 employees or their full time equivalent (including the business owner)
an annual turnover of less than £1.67 million; or
an energy consumption of no more than 100,000 kWh of electricity per year; or
a gas consumption of no more than 293,000 kWh per yearIf you rent your business space but don’t have your own gas and/or electricity meter, then you can ask your landlord if they plan to get one for your building.
Smart meter offerings may
Hot Business News Today
How to take the uncertainty out of your business energy bills
by Dan Matthews • • 0 Comments
By Dan Matthews on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
Running a successful small business means ensuring you make more money than you spend, but this isn’t always an easy balance to get right. Seasonal changes in revenue and late payments can dwindle money coming in, while unexpected bills put a strain on money going out.
According to recent research by Xero and PayPal, 28% of small businesses owners describe cashflow management as a challenge, while almost the same number admit struggling to pay suppliers on time, creating a vicious circle of money arriving late.
But while an unexpected bill from your supply chain can cause sleepless nights, so too can costs you know are coming, such as your business energy bills, which are notoriously difficult to predict accurately and are too often underestimated.
This is not a problem to sniff at: for the smallest businesses, those with no employees, of which there are millions within GB, gas and electricity costs are among the biggest sources of expenditure after tax.
A question mark over costs
Figures from Smarter Business show the average small business consumes between 15,000 and 30,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity each year, equating to bills of
Hot Business News Today
How to take the uncertainty out of your business energy bills
by Dan Matthews • • 0 Comments
By Dan Matthews on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
Running a successful small business means ensuring you make more money than you spend, but this isn’t always an easy balance to get right. Seasonal changes in revenue and late payments can dwindle money coming in, while unexpected bills put a strain on money going out.
According to recent research by Xero and PayPal, 28% of small businesses owners describe cashflow management as a challenge, while almost the same number admit struggling to pay suppliers on time, creating a vicious circle of money arriving late.
But while an unexpected bill from your supply chain can cause sleepless nights, so too can costs you know are coming, such as your business energy bills, which are notoriously difficult to predict accurately and are too often underestimated.
This is not a problem to sniff at: for the smallest businesses, those with no employees, of which there are millions within GB, gas and electricity costs are among the biggest sources of expenditure after tax.
A question mark over costs
Figures from Smarter Business show the average small business consumes between 15,000 and 30,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity each year, equating to bills of
Hot Business News Today
Smart meters and the hybrid workspace
by Dan Matthews • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Dan Matthews on Small Business
March 2020 represented a turning point for British organisations. For many employers, what started years ago as a gradual shift towards remote working became a legal requirement overnight, as a stay-at-home order was introduced by the government.
Businesses adapted quickly and many set-up structures for employees to work from home, while others created measures to protect workers with social distancing and more stringent cleaning regimes.
Fast-forward to today and a hybrid workspace, in which employees are sometimes present in the workplace and on other occasions do their jobs from home, is commonplace.
Hybrid working on the rise
A survey of 600 business leaders published by the Institute of Directors (IoD) in May 2021 found that almost two thirds are shifting their organisationto between one and four days of remote working per week.
“As the economy re-opens, business leaders are grappling with the best working models going forward,” said Joe Fitzsimons, Senior Policy Adviser at the IoD.
“The flexibility of remote working has improved work-life balance for employees and cut down commuting expenses. In many cases it has also boosted inclusivity and hiring from different parts of the country.
“The IoD further stated that hybrid working, provides the optimum balance for
Hot Business News Today
Installing a smart meter: a step-by-step guide for your small business
by Dan Matthews • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Dan Matthews on Small Business
Smart meters are a great way for households and businesses to monitor energy use and take control of their bills, potentially saving energy and money while reducing the impact of UK PLC on the planet.
To date, more than 24 million smart and advanced meters are operating in homes and businesses across the UK, with many business owners requesting smart meters every month.
Smart meters enable accurate billing — meaning, your business will only need to pay for the energy that it actually uses. This could help your business take control of your energy bills. Even better, smart meters send gas and electricity readings directly and securely to your supplier so you don’t have to – taking one item of your busy to-do list!
When it comes to installing a smart meter, you’ll first need to talk to your energy supplier and confirm the eligibility of your business. Once confirmed, you will follow the standard step-by-step installation process detailed below.
1. Ask your energy supplier or broker what’s on offer
To begin the process, there are two ports of call to make. First, speak to your landlord and ask whether they have plans to install smart meters in
Hot Business News Today
How my small business can contribute to reducing climate change
by Dan Matthews • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Dan Matthews on Small Business
Businesses that protect the environment with lean, efficient operations enjoy a multitude of benefits. Most obvious among these is the warm feeling that comes with knowing you are making a positive contribution towards the battle against climate change.
But green businesses can also save money, improve brand reputation and even increase their chances of securing finance from lenders who are increasingly hawkish about portfolio businesses sustainability credentials.
So how can you ensure your business is as green as it can be? Here are 10 tips to get you started:
1) Make it easier to recycle
Most people recycle as a matter of course in their homes, but at work it’s all too often a different story. Placing a standard paper bin under every desk is a good way to encourage landfill waste, so work out how you can make recycling bins accessible to even your busiest employees.
Invest in clear labelling too; this helps them find the right bins for each piece of recycling and saves time.
2) Encourage low-carbon commuting
This can come in a number of forms, from a ride-to-work scheme to season ticket loans for public transport. If people must drive, consider ways to encourage car-pooling, perhaps
Hot Business News Today
How my small business can contribute to reducing climate change
by Dan Matthews • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Dan Matthews on Small Business
Businesses that protect the environment with lean, efficient operations enjoy a multitude of benefits. Most obvious among these is the warm feeling that comes with knowing you are making a positive contribution towards the battle against climate change.
But green businesses can also save money, improve brand reputation and even increase their chances of securing finance from lenders who are increasingly hawkish about portfolio businesses sustainability credentials.
So how can you ensure your business is as green as it can be? Here are 10 tips to get you started:
1) Make it easier to recycle
Most people recycle as a matter of course in their homes, but at work it’s all too often a different story. Placing a standard paper bin under every desk is a good way to encourage landfill waste, so work out how you can make recycling bins accessible to even your busiest employees.
Invest in clear labelling too; this helps them find the right bins for each piece of recycling and saves time.
2) Encourage low-carbon commuting
This can come in a number of forms, from a ride-to-work scheme to season ticket loans for public transport. If people must drive, consider ways to encourage car-pooling, perhaps
Hot Business News Today
Using simple technology to improve my small business
by Dan Matthews • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Dan Matthews on Small Business
Technology has transformed the way we do business. From bricklayers to software engineers, everyone can benefit from cheap and simple tools that build efficiency and save you money.
Here are five of the best tech advances that you can implement today to boost your business ahead of the competition.
1. DIY websites
Twenty years ago, near the start of the dotcom revolution, it could cost many thousands of pounds to create a simple website, but today you can create a brilliant, bespoke and unique website for free.
An explosion of website building platforms in recent years – from Wix to Squarespace to 1&1 Ionos – has created fierce competition in the marketplace, which in turn has reduced prices to rock bottom.
With user-friendly tools, these platforms allow you to create an elegant online HQ where you can show off your work, quote happy customers, give information about your service and your fees, and of course provide a means for people to get in touch.
There’s almost always an option to pay for extras, for example if you want better hosting, more bells and whistles or to remove the web platform’s own branding from your site, but even this is
Hot Business News Today
Using simple technology to improve my small business
by Dan Matthews • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Dan Matthews on Small Business
Technology has transformed the way we do business. From bricklayers to software engineers, everyone can benefit from cheap and simple tools that build efficiency and save you money.
Here are five of the best tech advances that you can implement today to boost your business ahead of the competition.
1. DIY websites
Twenty years ago, near the start of the dotcom revolution, it could cost many thousands of pounds to create a simple website, but today you can create a brilliant, bespoke and unique website for free.
An explosion of website building platforms in recent years – from Wix to Squarespace to 1&1 Ionos – has created fierce competition in the marketplace, which in turn has reduced prices to rock bottom.
With user-friendly tools, these platforms allow you to create an elegant online HQ where you can show off your work, quote happy customers, give information about your service and your fees, and of course provide a means for people to get in touch.
There’s almost always an option to pay for extras, for example if you want better hosting, more bells and whistles or to remove the web platform’s own branding from your site, but even this is