Monthly Archives: September 2019

Hot Business News Today

5 interesting ideas for your October press releases

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Originally written by Simran Ghata-Aura on Small Business
It’s almost October – a month associated with leafy trails and spooky surprises. If you’re struggling for seasonal press release inspiration, here are five ideas to stir the pot (or cauldron).
Halloween

Boo! Halloween will be popular for businesses and retailers during October.
This is a great month for you to get creative with the creepy, eerie, horror theme. Clothing, decor, music and food will be on people’s minds and whether you want to go strong or subtle, there are many ways to get involved.
Journalists working on product-based articles will want to hear about special offers and promotions you have for Halloween. If you’re a food or clothing brand – or perhaps you’re hosting a fancy-dress themed event – let your audience know.
Autumn

It’s autumn, so the nights are getting longer, the weather is getting chillier and there’s pumpkin spice in just about everything.
Have you got anything seasonally-appropriate for the autumn? Make sure to let your audience know if you have made any seasonal changes or additions to your range such as new food, drinks, clothing collections or even the addition of some autumn decor in your retail space.
Sober October

It’s Sober October this month so many people

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HSBC adds billions to its £14bn small business loan fund ahead of Brexit

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Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
HSBC has added another £2bn to the £14bn pot of its small business loan fund, which it launched this time last year.
The bank says the increased fund is part of its British small and medium-sized businesses navigate Brexit and help them grow.
According to HSBC’s own research, 28pc of businesses have done nothing to prepare for Brexit.
Since launching its initial SME Fund in 2014, HSBC has committed more than £60bn to UK SMEs.
This year’s fund, which is HSBC’s largest to date, includes increased ring-fenced pots for international businesses and for the agriculture sector because they were both fully utilised last year.
See also: Best small business loans in the UK
The amount of money ring-fenced for companies that want to grow overseas has been doubled to £2bn, while the agriculture pot has increased to £1 billion from £300 million last year.
Almost one fifth (19pc) of businesses surveyed by HSBC have looked at opportunities to trade outside of the EU after Brexit.
Regional allocations across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland ensure that companies throughout the country can benefit the fund.
HSBC was unavailable to say how much of last year’s £12bn small business loan fund allocation has been

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GDPR and Brexit – 5 steps your small business can take

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Originally written by Ian Osborne on Small Business
Whatever side of the Brexit debate you sit on, it is becoming increasingly likely that the UK will no longer be part of the EU from the end of October.
This presents an array of challenges – and arguably opportunities – for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
However, one key aspect that business leaders must be aware of is GDPR and Brexit and how leaving the EU will affect their operations in terms of data security.
See also: GDPR one year on: what fines have been issued so far?
What the government says you should do
Guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has confirmed that whether we leave with EU with or without a deal, most of the data protection rules affecting SMEs will remain the same.
The good news is that UK businesses that comply with GDPR and have no contacts or customers in the EEA (the EEA is the EU plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) don’t need to do much more to prepare for data protection after Brexit.
What if you receive data from Europe?
However, UK businesses that receive personal data from contacts within the EEA must take additional steps to ensure they are fully compliant after

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