Monthly Archives: October 2016

German small businesses are the most optimistic about their own economy

Nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of German small businesses say their national economy is performing well, according to Bibby Financial Services. The global study, which surveyed business owners in the US, Germany, UK, Poland, Hong Kong and Ireland, finds that more than two thirds (67 per cent) of Irish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are confident about the
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UK small companies predicting strong income growth

Nearly two thirds (61 per cent) of SME decisionmakers expect increased income growth in the next two years, with some expecting increases of 20 per cent upwards, according to Opus Energy’s Brighter Business Report of 500 SME senior decisionmakers. In terms of revenue, 26 per cent of SME respondents expect this to increase 5-10 per cent, with another 17 per
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How a flooring company was assisted by an LEP grant

Leeds-based flooring specialist bestatflooring.co.uk benefitted from a grant from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP)  ‘Unlocking Business Investment’ Regional Growth Fund programme. Here, founder Steve Walker discusses how his company navigated the process of achieving this Regional Growth Fund grant. 1. What is your business, how long has it been going and how was it funded? We
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SME manufacturers stuck with unsold stock

The Asset Based Finance Association (ABFA) notes that this figure is up from £4.87 billion last year, with the value tied up in unsold stock remaining stubbornly high over the last five years despite hopes that the fragile economic recovery would allow businesses to clear unsold stock. The value of this inventory currently amounts to
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Smaller businesses need to become expert ‘Houdinis’

On the 90th anniversary of the death of illusionist and escapologist, Harry Houdini, on 31 October, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) advises smaller businesses of two key ‘talents’ they should perfect. Avoid being handcuffed by incidents that could jeopardise the business and exit a business with the best financial return. The SME business support organisation,
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London now fintech capital of EU, but Brexit changes everything

It was in October 30 years ago the UK financial market was deregulated, prompting the ’Big Bang’ in the City of London which led it to become the EU’s fintech capital but we now stand on the brink of a second pivotal turning point, according to Covercy. Doron Cohen, CEO of Covercy, a cross-border business payments
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What small businesses need to know about the gender pay gap

New analysis of the gender pay gap has revealed that women are paid less than men at every stage of their working life but the gap is widest during their 50s; women earn £85,040 less than men during this decade. From 2018, larger businesses, those with 250 or more employees, are required to report on
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