Monthly Archives: September 2021

Hot Business News Today

Carina Lepore: ‘I saw Lord Sugar’s car and it was a sign’

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By Anna Jordan on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

Welcome to Small Business Snippets, the podcast from SmallBusiness.co.uk. Today’s guest is Carina Lepore, entrepreneur and winner of The Apprentice 2019.

We discuss the law of attraction and starting a business in a field that you’re not familiar with.

This episode was brought to you in partnership with UPS and AAT.

Listen to it in the media player below.

Alternatively, you can watch the video here.

You can also catch our episodes with:

Dragon Tej Lalvani and entrepreneur Sam JonesAngel investor, entrepreneur and TV personality, Spencer MatthewsEntrepreneur and former Dragon on Dragon’s Den Ireland, Lady Chanelle McCoyBusinessman and The Apprentice winner, Mark WrightEntrepreneur and campaigner, Paul LindleyManaging director of Brompton Bikes, Will Butler-AdamsBusinessman and author, Gerald RatnerEntrepreneur and TV presenter, Trinny WoodallPub owner and bartender on Channel 4’s First Dates, Merlin GriffithsFounder and chairman of Pimlico (formerly Pimlico Plumbers), Charlie MullinsRetail expert and former Dragon, Theo PaphitisAuthor and boardroom expert, John TusaDigital guru and investor, Sherry CoutuEntrepreneur and former Dragon, Rachel ElnaughBusinesswoman and Dragon, Deborah MeadenEntrepreneur and The Apprentice 2005 candidate, Tim CampbellGousto CEO, Timo BoldtEntrepreneur and The Apprentice 2018 candidate, Jackie FastInvestor and former Dragon, Piers LinneyInvestment fund manager,

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Hot Business News Today

Import guide: three essential tips and everything you need to know

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By Tom Sommer on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
The UK having left the EU with the subsequent transition period, along with the effects of Covid-19, have caused higher levels of volatility in trade statistics when it comes to import and export over the past two years.
The value of imports of goods and services to the UK, excluding precious metals, totalled £39bn for June 2021, up £1 billion (2.6 per cent) from the month prior. 
The trends are clear – importing is big business.
However, importing to the UK can be complicated and costly – particularly in a post-Brexit world, where trade with the EU today is a whole different ball game to this time last year.
>See also: How to import from China to UK
Imports from non-EU countries have now outpaced. Still, Germany, the Netherlands and France represent three of the UK’s five biggest exporters, so getting up to speed with the new EU/UK trade agreement will be essential for many broaching the vast world of imports.
Getting started can feel like a challenge – but it could be a great way to grow your business.
Whether importing from the EU or further afield, this guide can help

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Hot Business News Today

How to import from the EU

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By Tom Sommer on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

A survey released by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) in January surveying SMEs found that nearly half (49 per cent) of businesses exporting into Europe reported difficulties in adapting to new rules post-Brexit.

Eight months on, feelings of uncertainty are still rife; a recent UK poll showed that because of changes in VAT on cross-border trade, 65 per cent of small business owners have been put off taking orders from EU customers. Fifty-six per cent report this is due to not understanding changes in rules.

On top of this, confusion has been further exacerbated by Covid, which saw a pandemic-fuelled rise in internet shopping, forcing businesses to re-evaluate their supply chain management.

To enable businesses more time to adjust to the new regulations, under current Government guidelines customs requirements for imports have been “simplified”. Traders are allowed to make a delayed supplementary import declaration, submitting full EU import declarations will be mandatory from 1 January 2022. Since then, there have been further delays surrounding the legislative changes scheduled for the 1st of October amid reports of food shortages.

The delayed onset of changes this October was both expected

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Hot Business News Today

How to import from China to UK

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By Timothy Adler on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs

For the UK, the desire to import goods from China is vast. China was the joint-first biggest single country that the UK imports from, along with Germany, accounting for 12 per cent of all UK imports.

Find a supplier in China

If you’re just starting up with a small order and you don’t want to go all the way to China to a trade fair, you can find online suppliers first. Three well-known ones are: Aliexpress, Alibaba, and Banggood.

Aliexpress

This retail portal, which is owned by Alibaba, is suitable for dropshippers who want to start buying from China. Hangzhou-based Alibaba group owns the website. It launched as a B2C website but most of its customers buy lots of between 10 and 50 pieces.

Alibaba

China’s biggest online e-commerce company and world’s largest B2B website listing suppliers in China. 

Banggood

Banggood has more than 20 categories for Chinese goods with 200,000 products listed and offers free shipping on some orders with warehouses in the UK, France, the US and Australia. It accepts all major payments including Paypal.

However, if you have experience in importing goods from China to the UK and you want to

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