Monthly Archives: December 2020

Hot Business News Today

Facebook Disabled Me – how to avoid being locked out of your business account

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Facebook, one of the most popular social networking sites in the world, is full of pages and accounts run by small business owners.
In 2019, there were over 90m small businesses on Facebook worldwide. These businesses can post updates, list contact details and services, allow customer reviews, place job adverts and create an online shop.
However, the hashtag #facebookdisabledme has grown on Twitter with frustrated Facebook users unable to access their accounts, their business pages and their ad accounts. Multiple petitions have been created asking Facebook to change how they review accounts and to lift bans on locked-out users.
Facebook’s account reviews are run on artificial intelligence (AI) which favours broad identifiers and lacks nuance. The customer service side is also reliant on AI so when businesses try to get in touch with a human at Facebook to resolve the issue, they can’t.
Users of the platform have bemoaned a lack of transparency and no clarification as to why an account or page has been disabled. It can take months to get these accounts reinstated and even then, they may be disabled again days later.
Having your personal account disabled is aggravating, but for small business owners the

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Hot Business News Today

Prospect union calls for emergency help for excluded self-employed

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Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
The Prospect union, recognising the plight of the 3m self-employed excluded from government Covid support, has devised an emergency plan.
Its Self-Employment Stabilisation Scheme (SESS) would bolt onto the existing Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) and offer help for the millions of Britons who have fallen through the cracks in government support, through no fault of their own.
Reasons for exclusion include being a company director or not having three years’ worth of accounts to submit to HMRC.
>See also: Liverpool launches £9.5m grant fund for ‘excluded’ self-employed
Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy called the Treasury’s treatment of the 3m excluded self-employed “disgraceful”, given how the government has encouraged self-employment and entrepreneurialism in the past.
The SESS would close existing gaps in the SEISS scheme and would introduce sectoral funds in areas with large freelance workforces, such as the creative industries.
In particular, the SESS proposes:

Allowing those who submit tax returns in January 2021 to access the fourth round of SEISS
A Freelancers Fund to support employers in sectors with large freelance workforces (such as creative industries) to take on freelance workers
Allow those who earn less than half their income through self-employment or earn more than £50,000 per annum

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Hot Business News Today

Trinny Woodall: ‘I was doing this fast – very weird thing. But my brain became clear’

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Welcome to Small Business Snippets, the podcast from SmallBusiness.co.uk. Today’s guest is Trinny Woodall, TV presenter, author and founder of makeup brand, Trinny London.
We discuss influencer marketing and augmented reality within the beauty industry.
Listen to it in the media player below.

You can also catch our episodes with:

Pub owner and bartender on Channel 4’s First Dates, Merlin Griffiths
Founder and chairman of Pimlico (formerly Pimlico Plumbers), Charlie Mullins
Retail expert and former Dragon, Theo Paphitis
Author and boardroom expert, John Tusa
Digital guru and investor, Sherry Coutu
Entrepreneur and former Dragon, Rachel Elnaugh
Businesswoman and Dragon, Deborah Meaden
Entrepreneur and The Apprentice 2005 candidate, Tim Campbell
Gousto CEO, Timo Boldt
Entrepreneur and The Apprentice 2018 candidate, Jackie Fast
Investor and former Dragon, Piers Linney
Investment fund manager, Nicola Horlick
Supermodel turned entrepreneur, Caprice

We’ve got podcast episodes from the first series looking at:

How one business owner’s mental breakdown caused her to see trolls from her past
How one entrepreneur hired a videographer to track their every move and build their business brand
How funding a business led one entrepreneur to stress-related alopecia
One entrepreneur’s first professional public speaking engagement
Adapting to UK life and learning English before starting a business
Securing seed funding
Finding the perfect head of customer care
Reaching a £1 million

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Which small businesses can stay open in Tier 4 lockdown?

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Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Small businesses that must close in Tier 4

non-essential retail, including clothing and homeware stores, vehicle showrooms (other than for rental), betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile phone shops, auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment) and market stalls selling non-essential goods. The above business venues can continue to offer click-and-collect (where goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services.
personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services must also close. These services should not be provided in other people’s homes.
hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs – apart from offering takeaway (until 11pm), click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery.
accommodation including hotels, hostels, guest houses and campsites, except for specific circumstances. See government website for more details.
leisure and sports facilities including leisure centres and indoor gyms, indoor swimming pools, indoor sports courts, indoor fitness and dance studios, indoor riding centres, and indoor climbing walls.
entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, go-karting venues, indoor play and soft

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