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Hot Business News Today

How your rural business can get a £3,500 boost for better broadband

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Vouchers worth up to £3,500 will be available for rural small businesses to help cover the costs of installing gigabit broadband.
The next round of the UK Gigabit Voucher Scheme will launch on Thursday April 8 2021. From then, you will be able to check whether your premises is eligible to get a voucher, find a list of eligible suppliers and see which of those are active in your area. Please note that vouchers are only available through suppliers who are registered with the scheme.
What is a gigabit connection?
One gigabit is the same as 1,000 megabits and in order to get broadband at gigabit speeds, you need a full-fibre connection.
Will I be eligible?
Businesses will be asked to self-certify that they are a small or a medium-sized business. This means that your business must have:

Up to 249 employees and annual turnover no greater than £36m and/or
An annual balance sheet not exceeding £18m

You will asked to provide evidence of this status.
How does it work?
Once you’ve registered with your supplier they will request a voucher from the Government. You’ll then get an email asking if you’re happy to proceed. Your supplier will get to work on delivering

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Hot Business News Today

Chelsea FC opens applications for free ad space to small London businesses

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Small businesses in London can apply for free social media advertising space on match days, courtesy of Chelsea Football Club.
Featuring inventory that’s only available to major partners, successful applicants will get a digital campaign headlined by a branded story on Instagram, published to 25.5m followers. In addition, chosen businesses will feature in half-time and full-time posts on match days.
>See also: 4 steps to help your small business grow on Instagram
The campaign wants to give local businesses access to Chelsea Football Club’s vast global digital community, giving them exposure on a massive scale.

How do I apply for the advertising space?
Applications are welcome from businesses with London postcodes which have fewer than 50 employees and a website. Successful applicants will be chosen by Chelsea FC on their efforts to launch, grow or sustain through the pandemic. The closing date is March 26.
You can register at Chelsea FC’s website.
This initiative is part of Chelsea Football Club’s ‘Proud of London’ campaign. The campaign was launched on March 16 to mark the club’s 116 years. The campaign was started by former Blues midfielder and life-long supporter Joe Cole. He narrated and starred in a short film (check

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Hot Business News Today

Chelsea FC opens applications for free ad space to small London businesses

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Small businesses in London can apply for free social media advertising space on match days, courtesy of Chelsea Football Club.
Featuring inventory that’s only available to major partners, successful applicants will get a digital campaign headlined by a branded story on Instagram, published to 25.5m followers. In addition, chosen businesses will feature in half-time and full-time posts on match days.
>See also: 4 steps to help your small business grow on Instagram
The campaign wants to give local businesses access to Chelsea Football Club’s vast global digital community, giving them exposure on a massive scale.

How do I apply for the advertising space?
Applications are welcome from businesses with London postcodes which have fewer than 50 employees and a website. Successful applicants will be chosen by Chelsea FC on their efforts to launch, grow or sustain through the pandemic. The closing date is March 26.
You can register at Chelsea FC’s website.
This initiative is part of Chelsea Football Club’s ‘Proud of London’ campaign. The campaign was launched on March 16 to mark the club’s 116 years. The campaign was started by former Blues midfielder and life-long supporter Joe Cole. He narrated and starred in a short film (check

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

Covid grant extends to newly started businesses in Kensington and Chelsea

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Additional Restrictions Grants (ARG) are opening for a third time to even more businesses in Kensington and Chelsea.
Newly started businesses, who began operating in Kensington and Chelsea no more than six months before the March 2020 lockdown, could be eligible to apply for the grant.
Eligible businesses for the grants continue to include those who operate in or out of commercial premises linked to leisure, retail and hospitality and those without premises who face high fixed costs, such as market traders.
In the second round of applications in January, Kensington and Chelsea Council expanded the criteria to include those in residential premises such as taxi drivers and mobile beauty technicians, who can still apply for the ARG.
The ARG gives up to £2,500 for local businesses who have been impacted by Covid-19, with the council awarding £1,705,761 to 1336 businesses through the previous two rounds of the scheme.
Applications for the ARG are open now and the deadline to apply is Friday April 9. Business are encouraged to check the full eligibility criteria before applying on the council website.
Councillor Catherine Faulks, lead member for economy, employment and innovation, said:
“We have listened to business owners who have missed

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Hot Business News Today

Covid grant extends to newly started businesses in Kensington and Chelsea

by  •  • 0 Comments

Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Additional Restrictions Grants (ARG) are opening for a third time to even more businesses in Kensington and Chelsea.
Newly started businesses, who began operating in Kensington and Chelsea no more than six months before the March 2020 lockdown, could be eligible to apply for the grant.
Eligible businesses for the grants continue to include those who operate in or out of commercial premises linked to leisure, retail and hospitality and those without premises who face high fixed costs, such as market traders.
In the second round of applications in January, Kensington and Chelsea Council expanded the criteria to include those in residential premises such as taxi drivers and mobile beauty technicians, who can still apply for the ARG.
The ARG gives up to £2,500 for local businesses who have been impacted by Covid-19, with the council awarding £1,705,761 to 1336 businesses through the previous two rounds of the scheme.
Applications for the ARG are open now and the deadline to apply is Friday April 9. Business are encouraged to check the full eligibility criteria before applying on the council website.
Councillor Catherine Faulks, lead member for economy, employment and innovation, said:
“We have listened to business owners who have missed

Read more...

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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Hot Business News Today

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

by  •  • 0 Comments

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

Read more...

Hot Business News Today

Treasury to discuss COVID-19 grant for company directors

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Government ministers are putting together a grant-based rescue plan for directors.
Business leaders and tax experts have drawn up plans to help as many as 2m entrepreneurs who rely on dividends for their income and have been excluded from COVID-19 help.
The Directors Income Support Scheme, which is supported by the Federation of Small Businesses, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and campaign group, ForgottenLtd, would be a grant for small actively trading companies.
The scheme would operate in a similar way to the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS). The first grant, covering three months, would be for 80 per cent of average earnings, up to £7,500. Estimates suggest that the scheme would cost between £2bn and £6bn.
The director would only be able to claim for one directorship in the entity which they have the greatest income and that income must make up over 50 per cent of any income from other sources, according to accountingWEB. The director must declare that they intend to continue to trade and are either:

Impacted by reduced demand due to coronavirus, but are actively trading
Temporarily unable to trade due to coronavirus, but were previously trading

Up until now, the Treasury has been

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Hot Business News Today

Getting started and making money in affiliate marketing

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Originally written by lauradodes on Small Business
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is where you can earn a commission for marketing someone else’s product. Revenue driven through the affiliate marketing channel has grown 10 per cent annually since 2015. More and more brands are recognising its value as a low-cost performance marketing strategy. But what exactly does it entail?
#1 – First, a brand needs to create an affiliate programme. This will typically be done through a network. Networks allow the brand to create trackable affiliate links and approve third-party websites (aka affiliates, publishers, partners, associates) to promote their company.
#2 – The approved affiliates use the link on their own platform and create content that encourages their audience to shop through their platform. When a customer clicks on their link to the brand and makes a purchase, the affiliate receives a commission.
Creating an affiliate site can be an easy way to earn some extra cash on the side, but it also has the potential to blossom into your full-time business.
>See also: How a social media platform can enhance affiliate marketing
I’m sold – how do I create an affiliate site?
Before beginning your journey as an affiliate marketer, you need to determine how your

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Hot Business News Today

NatWest and ITV launch £150,000 TV ad prize for small businesses

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Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
ITV and NatWest are launching a competition for small business to win their own TV advert, worth £150,000, from tomorrow (October 17).
Three businesses will have their own TV advert produced by acclaimed London-based advertising agency, Pablo. It’ll have guaranteed, tailored airtime on ITV and NatWest’s own media channels.
NatWest will also provide over 50 additional support packages to the top entrants, including places on NatWest’s Accelerator programme for entrepreneurs, one-to-one coaching sessions and advertising spend for LinkedIn.
The competition is open to any sector and size, business owners need to be over 18 and based in the UK to enter. It’s open to midnight on November 2.
Entrants must make a written pitch to the judges, explaining why their small business is extraordinary.
To enter, visit natwestbusinesshub.com/extraordinary
On October 17, the first in a series of the four adverts will air, featuring Cornwall-based confectionary business, Buttermilk.
Margaret Jobling, chief marketing officer, NatWest Group said: “Small business owners around the UK have been through an unbelievably difficult year, and have fought hard to continue supporting their customers through the challenges that the pandemic has brought all of us, so we want to give three extraordinary businesses the opportunity to share

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