Monthly Archives: March 2021

Hot Business News Today

How to minimise gaps in your supply chain post Brexit

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Originally written by Daniel Baker on Small Business
Since the final Brexit deadline on December 31, businesses across the UK have had to quickly become familiar with the new trade deal and adapt their supply chain accordingly.
Unsurprisingly, this has not been without disruption.
With a shortage of trucks and hauliers available to transport goods across the border and gaps in understanding of the new legislation across the supply chain, the first two months following Brexit have proven incredibly challenging for many British businesses.
>See also: Half of small business exporters struggling with new rules post Brexit
At Origin, we import some of the parts used to manufacture our aluminium doors and windows from the EU, so access to these materials was our primary concern following the announcement of the deal. Like many businesses, we had plans in place for a host of possible scenarios in anticipation of this, many of which have proven invaluable in the months following the deadline.
However, as Covid-19 taught us in 2020, it’s impossible to prepare for all eventualities, and we have found ourselves having to quickly pivot operations in some areas of the business in order to adapt to the impacts of Brexit that we hadn’t anticipated.
‘The first two

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Hot Business News Today

Government to launch £520m Help to Grow scheme for SMEs

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
The £520m Help to Grow scheme, set to be announced in tomorrow’s Budget, could help 130,000 small and medium-sized businesses.
According to the Times, the Government scheme will provide access management training, technology advice and discounted software to improve productivity.
This plan will enable access to some of the UK’s top business schools, while encouraging more companies to adopt technology, in the hope of opening up opportunities to small businesses that larger businesses can normally afford.
Business schools are due to offer 50 hours of tuition with one-to-one support from a mentor.
The scheme will have two streams:
Digital
Digital will be an online service offering free advice on how businesses can improve their digital capability as well as allowing them to get 50 per cent off approved software.
Management
Management will provide subsidised management training to ‘enhance the skills of leaders’ in areas like financial management and marketing.
Andy Haldane, chief economist at the Bank of England, has said that poor management practices at companies may contribute to poor productivity.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) national chair Mike Cherry said:
“Projects like this really make a difference for small firms who are wanting to change the way they operate, expand their horizons

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